Nebula
by MysticAphrodite
Summary: Captain Leila Sheridan is headed on her first mission - with one catch. The woman must share her ship with the infuriating, obsinate Captain Kirk, a fact of which she is none too happy. But as things take a turn for the terrifying, will Leila and Kirk join forces to save their crews...and themselves? Or will they be caught in an inexcapable nebula of danger and fear? OCs R&R!
1. Preface

**Preface**

Captain James T. Kirk hit the tree with an audible crack. He groaned with pain as he tried to stand, but his leg collapsed under him, broken. As Kirk lay in the deep underbrush, he took stock of his situation. His leg was obviously broken. His clothes were soaked in humidity, sweat, and blood. He reached around to his back, ignoring the sharp pain in his ribs, and felt a deep gash that ran from his lower back to his left shoulder. Kirk pulled himself upright to sit at the foot of the tree, tuning out the protests of every muscle and bone in his body. He could not evade the truth: there was a very good possibility that he was completely and utterly alone in unfamiliar territory, surrounded by savage adversaries. There was no way out.

A crack nearby alerted him to the approaching figure. Kirk suddenly felt cold, despite the intense heat. He forced himself to raise his head and look into the merciless eyes of the assassin.


	2. Introduction

**Introduction**

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," the woman at the podium greeted. This woman was unlike anything the members of Starfleet had ever known. She was a vision in white, silver, and mint green. Her long, dark ringlets of hair cascaded over her bare shoulders. Her white skirt came to her mid-thigh. Three vertical green stripes at the bottom of her skirt displayed that she held the rank of captain. Her sleek, silver, high-heeled boots came all the way up her leg, stopping mere inches from the edge of her skirt. A curious-looking belt adorned her waist; it resembled green ivy entwined around a silver crescent moon. The same emblem rested on a silver chain at her neck.

"My name," the woman continued, "is Leila Sheridan, captain of the vessel the _USS Stargazer_. I am an ambassador from the Ivy Alliance." Murmurs began in the crowd. Leila waited until all the noise settled before she continued. It was only natural that Starfleet should be curious about her. The Alliance was the only known military and exploratory agency operating under the Federation, aside from Starfleet. Little was known about the Alliance. Although it maintained that it was part of the Federation, it tended to execute its own operations, independent of the Federation's rulings and decisions. This in itself was not the cause of all the curiosity, however. It was a well-known fact that the Ivy Alliance only accepted women.

The murmurs of curiosity, however, refused to die down, so Leila was forced to speak over them. Better get this out of the way now.

"As you may or may not know, the Ivy Alliance is comprised of only women," the captain stated. The murmurs only got louder. A particularly loud whisper caught her attention.  
"Well, now, wouldn't that be nice?" a young man snickered. Leila turned to give the speaker a deadly glare. It was not difficult to see who had spoken. Everyone in a twenty seat radius had succumbed to laughter except for one man in the center of it all, who had a perfectly angelic look of innocence on his face. At Leila's glower, the man beamed and gave a little wave. Leila clenched her teeth together and continued speaking.

As Leila gave the typical, well-rehearsed 'this is who we are, what we do, and why we're here' speech, her thoughts were on other things. She really couldn't blame the snickers and prejudices against the Ivy Alliance. She just lost her temper sometimes. Despite the usual assumption, the Alliance was not an overly feminist agency. Not even close. It understood that men and women were completely equal. No gender was better or more qualified than the other. The women in the Alliance dated and married, too, just like those in Starfleet. The problems arose, however, when people asked about why it was an all-female agency. If everyone was equal, why would the Alliance only accept women? The answer was difficult to explain, but, in short, it was tradition. Ivy Moon, the woman who created the Alliance, was raised in a South American tribe. During childhood, Moon witnessed many arguments, and even battles, that arose due to disagreements between men and women. She reasoned that if just one gender worked together, the work would be done faster and more efficiently. And so, she began the Ivy Alliance. This was hard to explain, however, to people who interrupted, snickered, and tried to find ways to denounce it. The members of the Alliance just stopped trying. Let people think what they wanted.

Leila managed to finish the speech without any more pauses, and, with a final goodbye, she began the long walk between the two halves of the crowd to reach the doors. This was always the worst part for Leila. No matter how respectful the audience had been during the speech, the clapping and catcalling as she left never failed to embarrass her. Sure enough, as she took the first few steps toward the doors, a long whistle rang out through the clapping. She didn't have to turn around to know who it was; it came from the same spot as the loudly whispered comment had originated. Leila realized that that member of Starfleet, whoever he was, must be a rather popular person, because the whistle seemed to set a precedent, and, soon enough, nearly every man in the room was whistling or catcalling. Leila tried her best to show no annoyance and ignore the eyes she felt on her backside. She held her head high as she marched the remaining steps toward her savior, the door.

As soon as she was on the other side, with the door securely shut behind her, Leila made an immensely disgusted noise.

"Was it that bad?" came a sympathetic voice from beside her. Two of Leila's crew members materialized on either side of her. Both were dressed similarly to the captain. The speaker wore a pure white dress, the fabric trimmed in silver and ending just above her knees. Her slim legs were elongated by classic silver heels that perfectly matched the hair tie holding back straight, shoulder-length brunette locks. One silver cuff donned each shoulder of the dress, displaying that this woman was a medical officer. The woman next to her wore long white, low-rise pants with two cuffs on the hem of each pant leg. Her tight-fitting shirt accentuated her curves, allowing a good deal of midriff to show. The woman's copper hair was short and feathered, complimenting her face wonderfully. Both women wore Alliance necklaces identical to Leila's.

"Oh, Elvira, you have no idea," Leila grumbled.

"You should have let us come in with you," the other woman observed, smiling.

"Acelynn, I don't want you girls to have to go through that, too!" argued Leila lightly, remembering the multiple arguments they had had on the issue. She smiled and linked her arms with her friends'. "You two being out here when I escape is the best thing you can do for me." The girls began their way down the marble stairs. "Now let's go back to our quarters. I don't know about you girls, but I am fair tired of being whistled at." As if on cue, a loud whistle rang through the crisp September air as a group of young Starfleet cadets sauntered by.


	3. Mission

**Mission****  
**

"Wake up, sleepyheads!" Acelynn's cheery voice called from across the room. Leila poked her head out from under her pillow.

"What time is it?" she groaned, without opening her eyes.

"It's…" Acelynn consulted the clock on the wall, "almost noon." Leila stuffed her head back under her pillow.

"Noon?" came her muffled reply. "Well that means we still have…" Suddenly she bolted upright in the bed, eyes wide. "Noon? You said noon?" Acelynn nodded, obviously confused. "Oh, no! I was supposed to meet the Admiral for lunch at noon! Elvira!" She exclaimed, throwing her pillow and the lump beneath the covers on the bed beside her.

"What?" a disgruntled Elvira mumbled.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Leila accused.

"Leila. I'm a doctor, not a walking wake-up call," Elvira retorted. "Now it will do no good for you to just sit there worrying about if you missed you lunch date. Get up and get dressed," she ordered. Leila complied, throwing off her own covers and hurrying into her uniform. Elvira chuckled at the sight of her friend frantically tearing the room apart.

"What are you laughing at? You two are coming with me," Leila reminded the girls, pinning a few curls back at one side of her head with an ornate jade clip.

Ten minutes later the threesome arrived at the Admiral's quarters. The huge stone building was located next to Starfleet Academy, allowing the Admiral easy access to the school. Leila pressed the button for the intercom beside the giant gates.

"This is Captain Leila, Dr. Elvira, and First Officer Acelynn requesting permission to enter. We were invited to dine with Admiral Pike," she announced formally.

"Yes, very well. You may enter," a tinny voice replied. The elaborate bronze gates swung forward to allow the ambassadors in. A young cadet hurried forward.

"Ladies," he greeted, inclining his head," I am to lead you to the Admiral. Follow me, please."

The cadet led them through a vast pavilion. Leila gazed in awe at a giant stone water fountain in the likeness of one of Starfleet's ships. The name of the ship was engraved at the base of the fountain. As they walked on, more water fountains like that one came into view. Leila realized that each fountain represented one of the ships. She gasped in wonder; there must be hundreds of them. Leila turned her attention back to the cadet, about to ask how many fountains there really were. She swallowed her question after noticing that said cadet was appreciatively peeking out of the corner of his eye at the ladies. 'Really,' Leila thought to herself, 'were all men the same?' After a few more minutes of walking, the cadet stopped at an elaborate entryway to what looked like an exquisite garden. The smell of roses and lilies wafted across the entry's threshold.

"The Admiral is waiting in the gazebo," the cadet informed, pointing toward the center of the garden, where a white structure could be seen. The girls thanked him – Leila maybe a little colder than usual – and they started over to the gazebo. When they were a few yards away, the Admiral spotted them.

"Ah, there you are! Welcome!" he called cordially, rising from his seat in the gazebo. He gave each woman a kiss on both cheeks, in the classic Alliance greeting. "Come, sit," he invited, gesturing to a small table, already waiting with cups of steaming tea. "There are some people I would like you to meet and topics we need to discuss."

As Leila rounded the corner of the gazebo, she realized that the Admiral was not alone. Two other figured sat comfortably in wicker chairs, waiting for the ambassadors to sit in their own chairs. Leila, Elvira, and Acelynn sat, thanking the Admiral for his hospitality.  
"I would like you to meet two invaluable members of Starfleet," Admiral Pike announced. He gestured to the tall, dark-haired man. "This is Dr. McCoy, one of the head doctors in the agency."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Elvira smiled, inconspicuously running her eyes over the other doctor's body.

"The pleasure is mine," the doctor replied, his smile growing wider.

"And this," The Admiral continued, walking behind the other man's chair to put his hands on the young man's shoulders, "is Captain James T. Kirk, captain of our newest ship, the _USS Enterprise_." Leila turned to give the man her full attention. She had heard much about the ship and was very curious about the new vessel. For some reason, however, this man seemed familiar. In a split second she realized why. This Kirk was the same man that had whispered the loud comment during her speech; he was the same man that began the whistling fiasco as she left. He eyes narrowed.

"How do you do?" she greeted with an attempt at being polite, but unable to keep all the venom out of her voice. She sensed Elvira and Acelynn turn to her slightly, wondering what was wrong, and she remembered that they had not heard stories about or come into contact with Kirk yet. 'Lucky them,' Leila thought.

"How do _you_ do?" Kirk responded, raising one eyebrow suggestively. He flashed a set of pearly white teeth and winked. The Admiral, still behind Kirk, did not seem to notice the exchange. Leila resisted the urge to throw up.

Having introduced his two companions, Admiral Pike walked toward the entrance of the gazebo, turned, and gazed at the garden.

"Do you know why you are here?" he questioned the members of the Alliance, his back still turned toward them.

"Yes, of course," answered a slightly confused Leila. "We are here to establish diplomatic relations between Starfleet and the Ivy Alliance. Neither agency has done so in the past, and we felt that it was time to become steadfast allies. We are not looking to combine the agencies, but to organize and maintain functional and operational relations," she summarized. "Were you not at my speech last night, Sir?" She had explained everything in as much detail as she had been allowed in the speech. She had not wanted to bother with questions like these.  
"Yes, I was," the Admiral sighed. Then he muttered, "Well, the Alliance told them exactly what they said they would."

"Excuse me, Sir?" Elvira asked, not understanding. Admiral Pike sighed once more and then turned to look at the ambassadors.

"The Alliance lied to you," he clearly stated.

"Sir, I must object," Acelynn debated. "We were sent here to…"

"Yes, I know why you believe you were sent here," the Admiral interrupted. "I had many discussions with the Alliance's commanders on this topic. I told them why I wanted one of their ships, and they agreed. They refused to relay the reason to the crew, however, instead allowing them to believe that they were sent here to establish diplomatic relations. Your commanders wanted to leave the explanation to me. I told them that it would be easier the other way, but no…," he trailed off. "Anyway, you're here now, and I will now disclose your reason for being here." Leila's eyes burned with curiosity. She stole a look at Kirk and saw that he was also listening intently, all traces of mocking humor gone.

"Are we the only ones who have not been told of this?" Elvira asked accusingly, looking hard at the Admiral.

"No," he replied. "As a matter of fact, it is the other way around. You will be the first ones besides the Alliance and Starfleet commanders to know about this."

"Go on," Leila prodded. The Admiral nodded and began to speak.

"Have any of you heard of the planet Tremonillian?" he questioned the men and women before him.

"Tremonillian?" Kirk repeated. "The uninhabited planet we discovered some years ago?" Admiral Pike nodded again.

"Yes, that would be it. Tremonillian was discovered nearly twenty-five years back. As usual, when a new planet is discovered, Starfleet set a ship to document everything about it: its life forms, climate, atmosphere, and, most importantly, its civilizations. The ship returned with a very unusual report. Although the atmospheric and planetary conditions were perfect for life, there was no sign of any civilization. Further reports stated that the planet was a giant forest. Tremonillian's climate resembles that of Earth more closely than any other known planet." The Admiral paused, took a sip of his tea, and resumed. "Tremonillian had always been a benign planet. They only reports we ever received about the planet were those of natural occurrences, like a minor earthquake or tsunami. Eventually our officers deemed the planet unimportant, and we began to pay less and less attention to it. Soon we only received reports about it once every few months. We like to report on planets at least once a week, and sometimes more depending on the planet." The Admiral stopped once more, making eye contact with every member of his audience before resuming. "Two weeks ago, a cadet brought me a report of Tremonillian. I suspected that another forest fire had broken out or something of the like, but I read it anyway. I was shocked at the contents of the report.

Since the last report of Tremonillian, a huge crater had appeared in the planet's never-ending forest, surrounded by a faint nebula of blue-green light. This would not have been so surprising if not for the second half of the report. No meteor showers or any other space occurrences had been reported anywhere near the planet for the past year and a half. There would have been a report if a meteor shower was about to come into contact with the planet. This led to only one possible conclusion: the crater and nebula did not appear on the planet naturally." The Admiral stopped for a third time.

"But didn't you say that no civilizations existed on the planet? So nothing unnatural could have caused the crater, either," Acelynn concluded.

"That would be correct, if we were right," the Admiral countered. "The only possible theory is that we were wrong, that Tremonillian actually does have some sort of a civilization. This brings me to the reason I invited all of you to tea this afternoon. Although Tremonillian is very much like Earth, Starfleet simply does not have the technology to penetrate the planet's atmosphere."

"But didn't you say that that ship…" began Elvira.

"No," answered the Admiral, before she could finish. "The ship that made the original documentation of the planet never actually landed on it. Starfleet never allows a ship to land on a newly discovered planet. Not at first. That ship made those observations from above. You would be surprised to see what you can find with this type of a recon mission. The crew found that, despite its climate being much like Earth's, Tremonillian's outer atmosphere could not be more different. Once a ship got past the outer atmosphere, however, the immediate atmosphere conditions seemed to mimic Earth's. We at Starfleet had always figured that the inability to penetrate the outer atmosphere was the reason for the lack of civilization. If Starfleet possessed the most advanced technology and we were not able to bypass it, then it would be impossible for anyone else." The Admiral leaned forward to rest his arms on his knees. "Two weeks ago, when I received the report of Tremonillian's crater, I realized that there must be some kind of civilization. How else would a crater that size appear in the planet, with no reports of space activity? I knew that somehow we needed to get in there, to make sure the civilization was not malicious and to offer them a spot in the Federation. We could not rightly fly right through, considering our technology is not fit to do so. I made a decision, without asking the commanders' approval. I contacted the Ivy Alliance.

I knew that the Alliance did not exactly follow the Federation's orders, although it was still a part of the Federation. This led me to believe that it might have some other technology that hadn't been seen before. I contacted the commanders of the Alliance, and, after relaying our situation, they confirmed my theory. They probably wouldn't have given me the time of day if not for their concerns on the matter at hand. If Tremonillian's inhabitants – if there really were any - proved to be malicious, it could pose a serious problem for all of us. Nobody knows what type of technology, weaponry, and information they might have. I needed an Alliance ship. I asked the Alliance to lend me one for the exploration of Tremonillian. They refused, wanted to lead the exploration themselves. After many negotiations with Commander Nazuri, the head diplomatic commander, as you well know, we came to an agreement. The Alliance would lend me a ship, and I would allow some of the Alliance crew to collaborate with some of my crew. Depending on how it works out, the new crew will be comprised of half Alliance and half Starfleet crew members." The Admiral looked very seriously at those before him. "Should you accept, you will all take part in the exploration. It will be dangerous, and some of your crew members, if not you, yourselves, will die. Your mission, should you choose to accept, is to explore the planet Tremonillian and find and meet its inhabitants. You will offer them a place in the Federation, which will provide protection from enemies. If the inhabitants prove to be hostile and malicious, you will contact me, as I will be here, and await my instruction. During this time, you will eliminate only those you must to ensure your protection." The Admiral paused once more, hesitating before the inevitable question. "Do you accept upon these terms?"

Leila glanced at Elvira and Acelynn, who each nodded once without any hesitation, a grim but excited look in their eyes.

"We do," Leila announced firmly. Admiral Pike then turned to Kirk and the doctor.

"And you?" he asked, seeming to know the answer already.

"Do you even need to ask?" Kirk replied. A slow smile started, resembling a sort of a snarl, and Leila knew that he was hoping the inhabitants would be malicious, after all. "Of course we're in. Right, Bones?" He gave the doctor a nudge.

"Well, I couldn't exactly leave you to fend for yourself out there. You tend to get your impulsive self into an unimaginable amount of impossible situations," Bones replied, rolling his eyes. Kirk grinned.

Admiral Pike stood, stretching his legs.

"Well, I guess that will be enough for today. Get your crews together," he ordered, addressing the captains. "Both crews must be condensed into one by tomorrow at 0800. The ship will depart at 1100, and you had better be ready by then," he warned. He gave the sun a quick glance. It was still high in the sky. "It's still early. You had better get moving. There's a lot to do."


	4. Information

**Information**

Leila hurried toward her crew's quarters, her head buzzing with a strange combination of excitement and anger as she anticipated the coming mission. On one hand, she could not wait for the mission to commence. She had never been on an exploration mission before, and she was honored that the Alliance would choose her and her crew to undertake it. She had been waiting for this moment, for the chance to prove herself, for nearly two years, since becoming captain of the _Stargazer_. Throughout these years, she had never settled for second-best. Her ship had to be spotless and her crew impeccable, a feat which had not come easily. She and her crew had proudly gained the respect of all the other members of the Alliance. She had much respect and thankfulness for her crew; when they had first come together, no one had a clue what they were doing. But now, after two long years, they were the most hardworking, attentive, and dedicated crew she could ask for. It would be a difficult decision in choosing who would have to stay behind.

On the other hand, Leila was incensed that Kirk and his crew would be coming along. By the way those around him responded to his actions during and after her speech, she could easily see that they would not be willing to follow her command. And she knew that Kirk, himself, would be a problem. He had already caused her to lose her temper once, and that was less than twenty-four hours ago. The close quarters on the ship would be a nightmare. Leila knew she would have to establish command immediately. She also knew that, in order to do this, she would need to know everything she could about Captain James T. Kirk.

Leila finally reached the doors of her crew's quarters. She swiped her identification card across the reading pad and sighed as the doors slid open. The last thing she wanted to do was spend her few remaining hours on Earth investigating the man she hated the most in all of Starfleet. 'Oh, well,' she thought to herself. 'A girl's got to do what a girl's got to do.' She pressed the button to activate intercom beside the door.

"Attention all Stargazer members. This is your captain speaking," she announced, her voice booming throughout the building. "You will all meet in the common room immediately. No exceptions. Our plans have changed. There are new matters to be discussed." She knew that every woman in her crew would hear her, because they had all been ordered to stay inside the building during the trip. Leila didn't want anyone becoming enamored of a Starfleet member and running off with him. Distractions. They could do that on their own time, not during a diplomatic mission. Although the crew had groaned and fussed when they heard this order, Leila knew that it was half-hearted. They respected and trusted their captain, and because the ambassador building was like a resort anyway, they wouldn't miss anything. They had agreed to stay in the building for the duration of their visit. Which had turned out to be just four days, what with the change of plans.

Leila walked to the common room and found Elvira, Acelynn, and a few others already there. She took her place at the front of the room with Elvira and Acelynn, watching as her other crew members poured in and took a seat. Let it not be said that the crew did not unceasingly follow their captain's word. Soon the entire crew had arrived. The excited chattering stopped immediately as Leila took a step forward.

"Ladies, there has been a change of plans," she informed, pacing the room. "We have accepted a mission to explore the planet Tremonillian and establish contacts with its inhabitants, if they so exist." Excited, curious eyes lit up. "Not all of you will go," Leila continued. "Some of our crew will team up with some of the crew of Starfleet's _USS Enterprise_. We will use our ship. Do not feel bad if you are not chosen. You have all performed admirably in the time that you have been on the _Stargazer_. I will choose about half of you. I do not know how long we will be gone, so I am giving the half that is not chosen free reign to explore Starfleet while we are away. A message will be sent to your pager notifying you whether or not you have been chosen for this mission. If you find that you have been chosen, you will gather your possessions and report to the ship at 0500 tomorrow morning. You may now return to your previous activities. Thank you." Leila turned and walked out of the room, flanked by Elvira and Acelynn. She hated to be so formal with her crew, but that was what must be done when giving orders.

Two hours later, the three ambassadors sat in their room on their respective beds, finally having completed the list of chosen crew members for the mission. The messages had been sent, and the list of the crew had been discarded in a corner. Leila lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling above her. She knew that she would not be able to rest for long, so she savored the peace and quiet. Sure enough, ever-sensible Elvira spoke up.

"The ship is already ready for the voyage," she reminded Leila, "but we should probably get the crew organized."

"Yeah, probably," she agreed, sighing. "There is something I need to do first, though."

"And that would be…?" hinted Acelynn, curiosity aroused.

"I need to find out all I can about Captain Kirk. Knowing what type of a person he is, seeing as he will be on our ship, will be very useful to us. I want to know everything about him," Leila answered.

"Everything?" Elvira questioned, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

"Well, no, not everything," replied Leila, laughing with her friends and she playfully chucked a pillow at Elvira's head for the second time that day. The girls headed out, ready to pick up information on the captain. The information they would recover, however, would only add to Leila's intense exasperation.

Three hours later they gathered in their quarters once more. Leila was clearly not in a good mood. Everyone they had spoken to had raved about Kirk. The cadets were the easiest to extract information from, due to their obvious idolization of Kirk and their willingness to please the ambassadors. They recounted his accomplishments with awed voices, the female members of Starfleet often blushing as they spoke. Apparently he had somehow passed an impassable test, the Kobayashi Maru. Well, technically he had cheated, but the cadets always overlooked that fact. After only three of the four required years of training, he took his first combat voyage, which resulted in his becoming captain later that year. True, he did not know it would be a combat voyage at the time, but this was also overlooked by the young cadets, who instead stressed what had happened on the voyage. Apparently during this voyage, he had saved the _Enterprise_ and its crew from destruction multiple times, saved the Admiral – he was then the captain of the ship – Pike, and saved Earth itself from the deranged Captain Nero. He also brought Montgomery Scott on board, and everyone knew how brilliant Scotty was; his trans-warp transporter theory had changed the way all Federation ships operated. Kirk's crew was dedicated to only him. Everywhere the Alliance ambassadors went, they heard words like "legend" and "hero" associated with him. In short, Kirk was an idol. And this fact could not have come at a more unwelcome time to the weary, agitated captain of the _USS Stargazer_ than this very moment.


	5. Contention

**Chapter 4**

_Beep!_ Leila jerked out of her bed as the alarm sounded. Still half asleep, she peered at the clock. It read 4:00 AM. Leila glanced quickly out the window over her bed. The sky was still dark, but a slight red glow had appeared at the horizon. The sky looked clear, which boded well for the upcoming mission. Leila picked herself up from her bed and rubbed her eyes. Had she really only gotten three hours of sleep? She realized that Elvira and Acelynn had also risen and had begun getting dressed. She joined them, dressing in her captain's uniform in silence. None of the women spoke, and Leila knew they felt the same excitement and apprehension that she did. They gathered all their belongings – which weren't much, considering they hadn't fully unpacked from the trip – and headed out the door. Once outside, the fresh morning air seemed to improve their spirits.

"Oh, I'm so excited!" bubbled Acelynn, bouncing up and down as they made their way toward the _Stargazer_.

"You know, if you don't stop that bouncing, you're gonna hurt someone," Elvira laughed, slipping into her informal way of speaking. Leila laughed with her, but anxiety was clawing at the pit of her stomach. Would she actually be able to head this expedition? She had never gone on a mission like this. How was she supposed to know what to do? Elvira, sensing her nerves, linked arms with both her and Acelynn.

"We'll do fine," she quietly encouraged. Leila nodded, taking a deep breath.

"Yes," she agreed, willing herself to believe it. "Yes, we will."

The girls turned the corner and were finally in sight of the _Stargazer_. Instantly Leila's anxiety melted away. She could never fail a mission with her beloved _Stargazer_. The ship had been her home for the past two years. They had traveled as ambassadors to many a planet together. Leila looked toward her friends, arms still linked. Why had she been so apprehensive? Everything would be fine. She had her beloved ship and her two best friends. Leila raised her head higher and walked with a new confidence. 'Nothing can stop us,' she thought. 'Not even that intensely aggravating Kirk.' At that precise moment, she noticed a lone figure leaning against the ship. He wore Starfleet's traditional golden captain's uniform. 'Ah,' thought Leila, 'speak of the devil.' Elvira and Acelynn noticed him, too.

"What is he doing, wearing his captain's uniform?" Acelynn glowered.

"Does he mean to undermine your command? There cannot be two acting captains on one ship," Elvira frowned.

"I believe that's exactly what he means to do," Leila agreed her eyes narrowing. She flashed a devilish smile. "Well, it looks like he will just have to find out for himself who the real captain of the _Stargazer_ is." She unlinked her arm from Elvira's. "Stay here," she ordered, giving her friends a quick wink. "I'll take care of this." She proceeded to walk over to where Kirk was leaning. His smile grew wider as she approached.

"Hey there," he greeted, very obviously dipping his eyes over her body.

"Is there something you would like?" Leila challenged immediately, not bothering with a greeting. Kirk chuckled.

"There are a great many things I would like from you," he smirked. Well, Leila had to admit that she walked right into that one.

"I'm sorry. Maybe I should get right to the point," Leila pressed on briskly, ignoring the comment. "Why are you dressed in your captain's uniform, when we both know that I am, in fact, the captain of this ship?"

"Well, I don't know that we had agreed to that," Kirk replied, flashing a maddening smile. Leila gave her own syrupy sweet smile, the kind she reserved for moments in which she was trying to anger someone.

"Well now you do," she shot back. "So now that that's settled…"

"Ah, but Miss Leila, we still have not agreed on the matter," Kirk maintained. Leila had not missed the lack of 'captain' in the title.

"You will address me as 'captain' when speaking to me," she snapped.

"Very well. I believe, Captain Leila, that I should command the mission, and therefore the ship, because this is my area of expertise, and, quite frankly, I am unsure if you are able to handle the task at hand." Kirk smirked at Leila, who refused to let her temper get the better of her.

"I assure you, Captain Kirk, that I am entirely in control of this vessel. It is, after all, my ship, so therefore I should be in command." Kirk began to interrupt, but Leila spoke over him. "And furthermore, since we are dealing with technological advancements far beyond those the _Enterprise_ has ever seen, it is only logical that I am in command for the safety of my crew." Kirk stared at her, baffled, at a loss for words for once. Leila gave another sickly sweet smile. "Good," she acknowledged. "We understand each other." With that, she spun on her heel and walked away, swinging her hips a bit more than usual.

By the time Leila reached her friends, they were doubled over with laughter.

"Oh, you should have seen his face when you walked away!" exclaimed Acelynn.

"Priceless!" gasped Elvira. Leila grinned and put her arms around the girls.

"Let's go attend to our crew," she suggested, smiling broadly. They all sauntered off toward the starboard side of the ship, not sparing Kirk a glance as they passed.  
When they arrived at the other side of the ship, they noticed that nearly all of their crew members had beaten them there. Leila noted with approval that the crew members that were not packing their belongings in the ship had begun their respective jobs without being asked. The red morning sun now bathed the ship in a warm glow. Leila breathed in deeply, anticipating the coming journey. She had no doubt that Kirk's crew had already gathered at the other side of the ship. She had a sneaking suspicion that they were there throughout her standoff with Kirk. Sure enough, as soon as she stepped onto the loading platform, a large group of men rounded the corner, headed by a man in a captain's uniform. Leila realized that Bones walked next to Kirk, seeming to be in high spirits. While his crew moved to their stations, Kirk strode up to Leila.

"All right, Captain Leila," he exclaimed, almost cheerfully, but with a serious undertone. It was the first time Leila had seen Kirk even remotely serious. "Because this is your ship, technically, I will allow you to be the acting captain. For the time being. However, due to my rank with Starfleet and the fact that I have not been discharged from that rank, I will ask for you to address me as my rank sees fit. My crew will address me as 'captain,' and I expect yours to do the same. I was chosen to assist with this mission," he reminded her," and I intend to do just that: assist you, not stand by, allowing you to dominate it." His serious speech being done, he then added, as an afterthought, "If you would like to dominate something, however, I have other ideas in mind." Leila looked toward the heavens in exasperation, but she could not deny that he had every right to demand to be addressed according to his rank. He was still a captain of Starfleet. Although how he got promoted to that position, Leila would never understand.

"Very well, Captain Kirk," she replied, ignoring the innuendo. "I will address you as 'captain' and instruct my crew to do the same. I also expect that you will return the courtesy."  
"Of course," Kirk grinned, holding out a well-muscled arm. Leila glanced at the extended hand for a moment, debating whether or not to take it. She gave an internal shrug. 'Hey,' she thought to herself, 'if we're going on a mission together as co-captains, no matter what he agrees to right now, we might as well get to know each other a little.' She reached out and placed her hand in his, grasping it firmly. A cheer broke out from the combined crews as they took in the sight. Leila realized that they must have been watching the whole time. She gave a smile and a wave to their crew and sensed Kirk do the same. Maybe there wouldn't be any problems between them after all…

"You've got nice hands," Kirk commented through the side of his mouth, winking suggestively.

…and maybe that was wishful thinking…


	6. Departure

**Departure **

"Captain Leila, we are ready to depart," the secondary navigation technician announced, swiveling in her chair to face the captain.

"Thank you, Kareena," Leila replied with a nod. She pressed the button for the intercom on the arm of her seat. "Engine room? This is the captain speaking. Are we set to take off?" she questioned.

"You bet your arse we are. Oh, sorry…I mean yes, Captain." Leila started. She still hadn't gotten used to a male voice reply, especially not this one, with a strong Scottish accent. To think, Montgomery Scott was on her ship. He was a little rough around the edges, but she would get used to him. She banished the thought and returned to the present.

"Very well. Kareena? Let's go," she ordered, unable to keep all the excitement from her voice. Kareena grinned and turned, her fingers expertly grazing over a few computer buttons on the control panel. She looked over to the navigation technician at her side and nodded. At her nod, both crew members flicked a switch beneath the navigation board and simultaneously punched a silver lever forward. The _Stargazer_ shuddered, as if awakening from a deep sleep, and lurched forward. They were on their way.

Leila breathed in deeply. She loved being in space. Anticipating that the navigators would have everything under control for now, Leila stood and turned, looking for Acelynn or Elvira. Instead, she found Kirk standing just behind her chair.

"Hey, that was pretty cool, even if it was entirely too complicated," he grinned.

"I'm sure," Leila replied shortly, brushing past him. To her annoyance, he followed her.

"So where do we eat on this ship?" he wondered aloud. Leila sighed. She had hoped that she could postpone this conversation until later.

"We have a cafeteria, as I am sure you're well aware. That is where most of the crew takes their meals." She paused. "And I, as captain, take my meals in my quarters. Acelynn and Elvira join me. That is generally the time for our debriefing." Another pause, before she reluctantly continued. "As visiting captain of another ship, you are also invited to dine with us," she informed.

"Why of course I'll go to dinner with you! I thought you'd never ask!" Kirk exclaimed, his voice thick with mocking implications. Although Leila had known he would accept, she had sincerely hoped that he would rather eat with his men.

"Very well. As there are three of us attending, I will ask you to extend the invitation to three of your crew members." This she thought up off the top of her head. She knew Elvira would be pleased, as Kirk was more than likely to pick Bones as one of his guests. Not to mention that it would save Leila the ordeal of having to talk to only Kirk.

"I'll be sure to do that," Kirk nodded.

"Good. We will expect you at seven. No later," she notified him. With that, Leila entered the nearest room and shut the door behind her.


	7. Dinner

**Dinner  
**

Leila, Elvira, and Acelynn sat at the oval-shaped cherry wood table in Leila's quarters, awaiting their guests. Leila sat at the head of the table, while Elvira and Acelynn took their usual places on either side. Leila checked her watch once more, for the fifth time in the past three minutes.

"Where are they?" she grumbled. "If they're so much as a minute late, so help me…" she threatened.

"I'm sure they're on their way," responded Elvira, also looking toward the door.  
"I wonder who they'll bring with them," Acelynn added, looking excited. Suddenly the chimes rang seven o' clock. At that precise moment, a knock sounded at the door.

"This is Captain Kirk and two guests, reporting for dinner at seven, as requested," Kirk's voice announced through the door.

"Is he serious?" Leila quietly exploded. "He's mocking me!" Acelynn immediately burst into laughter, and Elvira didn't look to be too far behind her. Leila regained control of herself enough to call, "You may enter."

The door opened and the three figures stepped in. Leila had been right; Bones was one of Kirk's accompanying guests. The girls did not recognize the other, a young dirty-blond Starfleet member. Leila glanced over at Acelynn and caught her warm smile directed at the newcomer. Without bidding, Kirk sat at the other head of the table, directly across from Leila. Bones took the spot next to Elvira, both of whom seeming quite happy about the seating arrangement. The other guest sat next to Acelynn, who gave him another sparkling smile. Leila called out to the cadets who were on serving duty that night, and platters and bottles of wine were instantly placed on the table. As soon as the cadets left, the pleasantries began.

"We're so pleased you were able to join us tonight," Leila welcomed, pointedly looking at only Bones and the newcomer.

"We appreciate the invitation," Kirk replied, not seeming at all offended. "May I take this opportunity to introduce my guests, Captain Leila?"

"Of course, Captain Kirk." If he could do it, so could she.

"This is, as you know, Bones, the senior medical officer of both the _Enterprise_ and, now that our crews are combined, the _Stargazer_ for this mission." Leila did not miss the fact that this was a statement, not a request, but she let it slide. She should start picking her arguments, or else every other word would cause a debate. Plus, she had no concerns about Bones and Elvira working together. She imagined they would like it very much…

"It's so good to see you again, Doctor," Elvira purred, flashing an impeccable smile.

"Likewise, Doctor," Bones replied, his own teeth glittering in a rather attractive smile.

"And this," Kirk continued, gesturing to the other guest, "is Chekov, one of the best Ensign Officers, navigators, and security and tactical officers you'll find in this part of the galaxy. Especially accounting for his young age." Chekov beamed under the compliment. Here Kirk paused, apparently debating how to go about his next words. "Chekov had been assigned to the tertiary control room for the duration of this mission. However, I'm sure the crew and the mission will benefit if Chekov holds a position on the bridge, as he did on the _Enterprise_." Was this a request? Slowly Leila nodded her consent. Kirk seemed content. Chekov stared from Kirk to Leila, openmouthed.

"So pleased to meet you!" he greeted in a heavy Russian accent. Acelynn's eyes widened in delight. Leila gave a soft chuckle as she and Elvira exchanged glances. They both knew from past experience that Acelynn loved guys with accents. "Sank you so much! You vill not regret zis promotion! I have been all ower space wis ze _Enterprise_, and I have learned so much about all ze wast galaxies! I vill do my best to serve zis wessel as well as I can!" Chekov finished, smiling a broad grin. Acelynn sidled a little closer to him.

"Well," Elvira exclaimed, "you sure are enthusiastic!" Chekov blushed a little, but his grin was still in place as the other diners chuckled. The introductions were soon overtaken by smaller conversations about pasts, the differences between Starfleet and the Alliance, and the current mission.

"So, how did you three meet?" Kirk questioned. "You seem to be pretty good friends. Were you all just assigned to the same ship?" Acelynn laughed.

"No, we knew each other long before that," she grinned.

"We were in the same year at the Alliance Academy. We knew each other there, if just barely," Elvira explained. "Then one day a professor grouped us three together for an assignment. Something about making a miniature model of our ideal ship."

"I don't know how, considering none of us took the project seriously, but somehow we pulled off an A. The professor even put our ship on exhibit!" laughed Leila, picking up the story. "I still think that he's been drinking," she confided to her friends, remembering a past discussion.

"Definitely," agreed Acelynn. "There's no way he could've been sober."

"Well anyway, that's when we started actually becoming good friends," continued Elvira. "During the rest of our schooling, we each made some pretty influential friends in our departments. So, when the time came to be assigned to a ship…" she shrugged.

"…we all happened to be commissioned to the same one," Leila grinned. "And we've been best friends ever since."

"I see," commented Bones. "So you've been friends ever since school? And you've never gotten tired of each other? Amazing…" He threw a look at Kirk, who chuckled.

"Bones and I met when we both joined Starfleet. We met Spock three years later. Somehow we all balance each other out," Kirk explained, grinning at his friend.

"Spock?" Elvira asked. "I've heard of him. A half-Vulcan half-human, isn't he?" Bones nodded.

"Yeah, Spock's certainly a character," the other doctor laughed. "Brilliant guy, but he loses a little on the humanity side of things."

"He couldn't make it on this trip, though," Kirk continued. "He's off planet for a diplomatic run with the Vulcan elders." Elvira nodded, clearly disappointed she would not be able to meet this Spock.

"I have been vondering," Chekov spoke up, changing topics, "how do you tell ze rank on zis wessel? You do not have different colors to detect rank." Leila held back a grin; she could almost see Acelynn's heart melt like butter in the sun whenever he spoke.

"Well it's like this." Acelynn immediately launched into a very detailed description of the Alliance members' uniforms. Much too detailed for Leila's liking. She had to fight to hold back a blush one or two times. Acelynn ended with, "So, you see, the cuffs on the uniform determine what rank or job someone has. Captains have three cuffs, first officers and senior medical officers have two, and everyone else has one."

"Wery interesting," Chekov responded, eyes only for Acelynn. Leila was sure he had only heard about half of what she had said.

"And soon, because I was just promoted to senior medical officer, I'll get my new cuffs!" Elvira informed excitedly.

"Mmm, and I'll be happy to put them on for you," Bones murmured. Elvira blushed deeply, but Leila could tell that she didn't altogether mind the comment. In fact, she was probably entertaining the idea that very moment. Kirk snickered at the exchange. Sensing the danger of a like comment directed at her, Leila quickly changed subjects.

"So how exactly are we planning on penetrating the atmosphere?" she questioned, voicing the first things that popped into her head. Apparently this was the wrong topic to bring up. Chekov immediately began babbling in a long string of descriptions, algorithms, and theories. Leila swore that half of what he said wasn't even in English. She sat, dumbfounded, staring at the ensign.

"…and as you vell know ze technology onboard and incorporated in zis wessel has ze potential and welocity to…" he chattered on. Suddenly Kirk held up a hand to stop Chekov, who halted mid-sentence. Kirk wore a grin of pure mockery. 'Uh-oh,' thought Leila. 'Here it comes.'

"You mean to tell me," Kirk began, his smirk growing wider by the second, "that you, you the Alliance members with all your fancy ships and technology, don't even know what to do with it?"

"Excuse me," Leila retaliated, thoroughly irritated, "but I happen to know exactly what to do with our technology. I have been captain of this ship for two years. I assure you that I am fully competent in all respects."

"Ah," Kirk replied calmly, "but you don't know how to use the technology in a situation like this." Leila began to interrupt, but Kirk pushed on. "Bones, I'm beginning to think that we could have gotten along better in our very own _Enterprise_. This ship has nothing useful to it," he provoked. That was it. Kirk could try to degrade her and she would have less of a problem with it. She could walk away, or fight back if the need arose. But to defame her ship? Her _Stargazer_? No. That just wasn't done. As a captain, he should know that.

"I seem to remember, _Mister_ Kirk," Leila retorted each word laced with a deadly combination of fury and outrage, "that _my_ ship has the more advanced technology. _My_ ship is the reason you have even the slightest shot at penetrating Tremonillian's outer atmosphere. _My_ ship, Kirk. _Mine_. Remember that." The atmosphere around the table tensed. Kirk didn't seem to feel that, or else he brushed it off.

"Well, you know what I always say, Bones," he exclaimed brightly, reaching over to slap his friend on the back.

"What do you always say?" Bones replied, partially wary of the answer.

"What matters isn't how advanced your technology is," Kirk grinned. "It's how you handle what you've got." Kirk chose this moment to throw a broad wink at Leila, anticipating that she would blush and change the conversation, like always. Leila, however, wasn't done.

"Did you just admit to you…technology…not being…state of the art?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow at him. Both Elvira and Acelynn burst into identical coughing fits that suspiciously resembled uncontrollable laughter. Kirk's face turned the slightest shade of pink. Chekov looked uncomfortable, and Bones reached for the glass of wine in front of him before he could make any incriminating facial expressions. Kirk recovered almost instantly.

"You just want to know that so you can imagine how my technology works, don't you? You know, you don't need to keep imagining. You're always welcome to explore my ship and see for yourself," he smirked.

"I think I'll have to decline the offer. I have entirely –," Leila's retort was cut off by Bones, who had drained his glass of wine.

"Well, it's late," he hinted. "We had better get going. Thank you for dinner. We will see you tomorrow." Leila glared across the table at Kirk, who seemed to have recovered all of his good humor. He got up and moved to the door.

"Yes, you're right, Bones. Goodnight, ladies. Sweet dreams," he grinned, looking only at Leila. Chekov rose and walked to the door also.

"Sank you for dinner," he expressed. "I hope to see you all again wery soon." Leila noticed that he gazed singularly at Acelynn as he spoke. Bones proceeded to the door also.  
"It was very gracious of you to invite us," he emphasized. "We will be seeing you tomorrow."

This seemed to hold a certain amount of excitement for both him and Elvira. He turned at swiftly strode out the door, with Chekov in his wake. Kirk stayed unmoving for a moment, still grinning devilishly at Leila.

"'Till tomorrow," he repeated, before spinning around through the door, which he shut behind him. As soon as the door clicked shut, Leila slouched in her seat. She eyed the wine glass in front of her.

"This will be a long mission," she professed, ignoring the wine glass and lifting the whole bottle to her lips.


	8. Dream

**Dream**

Leila stretched out in the bed, breathing in deeply. The morning sun warmed her body and caused the back of her eyelids to glow red. Soaking in the comforting warmth, she opened her eyes. Leila saw that she was off the ship, instead in a cozy little cottage with light pouring in from the many windows surrounding the bed. The thin sheets rested against her bare skin with a gentle touch. How or why she was here, she did not wonder or care. This was bliss. Leila turned slightly to find a still body lying next to her. Kirk's eyes were open, and he was watching her with something that looked very much like love. She smiled, and Kirk reached out a hand to smooth back her hair, to caress her face. He leaned forward to close the gap between them and placed his lips on hers in a deep, tender kiss. Leila savored every second of it. She had no intention of breaking that contact, and every intention of lying like that forever. Too soon, Kirk pulled away. He chuckled softly at her expression.

"Good morning, love."

Leila bolted upright in her bed. She was still on the ship, and Elvira and Acelynn stood over her, a cup of coffee in each of their hands.

"Wow, all I said was good morning. You don't have to flip out," Acelynn commented. Leila didn't answer. She was too mortified. Had Kirk actually gotten into her dreams? This was too much. And the worst part? The worst part was that she wanted so much for the dream to be real. Still. Even in wakefulness. This was bad.

"Is everything okay?" Elvira asked, concerned at her friend's behavior. She reached out to hand Leila the third coffee.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," Leila replied automatically, both her voice and her hands shaking. Her tremors caused little ripples in the coffee. "Everything's fine," she repeated, trying to believe her own words. How could this have happened to her? She _hated_ Kirk!

"Oh-kay…," Acelynn responded, not even remotely convinced. Leila glanced at her friends, both of whom were watching her suspiciously.

"Well, we should get going," Leila briskly stated in an attempt to deter the questions. She jumped up, but heavily sat back down on the bed as her vision swam and her head started to pound. "Ow," she grumbled.

"I knew this would happen," Elvira sighed. "You drank the whole bottle of wine last night after our…guests…left."

"I did?" Leila murmured, unable to remember much after Kirk's departure. That would explain a lot. Elvira took a step toward the captain with her hand outstretched. Two little white pills sat in her palm.

"Yes, you did. Here. Take these," she ordered, handing the pills over. Leila obediently gulped them down.

"What are they?" she asked after swallowing.

"A new composition. I got them from Base before we left. Nobody really has them yet. And I mean _nobody_. Starfleet doesn't even _know_ about them," Elvira explained. "Your headache should be going away now. And in a few more seconds you'll be able to stand without falling over. Just stay away from the wine tonight," she advised, looking at Leila disapprovingly. Leila realized with amazement that the throbbing pain of her headache had already dulled down to almost nothing.

"Ah, the wonders of having a doctor as a best friend," she grinned.

"Mhm. Now you better not use this as an excuse to drink so much next time," Elvira warned. Leila grumbled something incoherent about Kirk pushing her to the limit. "Right. Well you had better get up. I've heard some rumors that we'll be in sight of Tremonillian within the hour." Leila nodded and rose from her bed, fervently hoping that she wouldn't have to face Kirk today.  
Her hopes were in vain. Leila entered the bridge to find Kirk at his usual place behind her captain's chair. Without breaking stride or sparing him so much as a glance, Leila marched to the chair and sat. She cast her gaze around the room, trying to focus on something other than the presence at her back. In doing so, she noticed Chekov at the control panel.

"Good to see you again, Chekov. How do we fare?" she questioned, friendly authority ringing through her voice.

"Vonderful, Keptin," he replied, turning in his chair to face her. "I expect to be arriving in approximately…," he checked his watch and two timers on the panel, "…twenty-eight minutes, three seconds. Once there, I plan to test the frequencies for beaming so ze explorers can be beamed down at your command."

"Very good, Chekov," Leila complimented, nodding her approval. A hand fell on her shoulder. She tried to ignore the tingling sensation that sparked at the contact.

"Have you chosen the explorers yet?" Kirk's voice asked, closer to her ear than she had expected.

"Yes, I believe I have," she answered, still avoiding his eyes. She just couldn't face him right now…not after that vivid dream. She needed to get out of there. "Chekov, have someone call me when we're seven minutes away," she ordered, rising from her seat. From the corner of her eye, she saw Chekov nod once in compliance as she strode into the corridor. Kirk immediately fell into step beside her.

"Good. Then we should discuss exploration parties," he suggested. Leila slowed. She had not thought of this.

"Okay. What are you thinking?" she asked.

"Just the basic two-group system, positioned close enough for contact but not too close as to run into each other," he shrugged.

"That's fine with me. You lead one and I lead one?"

"Right. We'll each have our own command and report back to the _Stargazer_." Leila knew this was the best idea. However, she couldn't get the insane hope out of her head that he would suggest a joint command of one group. They would actually work together. _Together_. The thought sent a small shiver down her spine. She nodded, hoping Kirk had absolutely no idea of knowing what was going on inside her head. _She_ didn't even know what was happening up there.

"That sounds good to me," she replied.

"Good. Then we should tell every one of the groups once we beam down," Kirk advised.

"Right. More focused, less confused," Leila heard herself say. Had they actually agreed on something?

"Exactly." He paused, and a strange look came into his eye. "Leila, I…" Just then a young man sprinted up to them. He skidded to a stop and stood at attention before the captains.

"Captain Kirk. Captain Leila. We are seven minutes away from Tremonillian. You asked to be notified by Ensign Chekov?" The young runner announced. He hesitated before continuing.

"There is a…situation…you should be aware of. Please report to the bridge immediately."

"Yes, thank you. We will be there momentarily," Leila replied. The runner nodded once and marched away. Leila turned back to Kirk. "You were saying…?" The strange look had left Kirk's eye, replaced by his usual amused expression.

"Nothing. Just surprised you actually managed to get us here alive," he grinned. Leila rolled her eyes, resolving never again to take him seriously.

"Let's go. We're approaching the planet," she reminded, ignoring the comment. Kirk followed with a smile as Leila turned and began toward the bridge.

As soon as they reached their destination, Leila knew something was wrong. Elvira and Bones were standing in the middle of the room, speaking in low voices. Their faces were drawn with agitation and worry. Chekov sat at his usual spot, quickly tapping his fingers over the control panel's main computer. The computer beeped twice in denial, and the ensign abandoned it to move to another computer, frantic. Acelynn distractedly paced back and forth behind his chair, obviously distressed. The others in the room did not speak a word, only watched Chekov with bated breath as he tried and failed again and again at each computer. Leila and Kirk stopped at the door, feeling the immense strain in the room as soon as they walked in. Leila took another step forward.

"What?" she demanded anxiously. All heads snapped toward the sound of her voice. Elvira and Bones forgot their conversation. Acelynn paused mid-pace. Chekov continued tapping away, this time staring at the captain as he did so. "What's wrong?"


	9. Landing

**Landing**

"What do you mean we_ can't beam down_?" Leila repeated disbelievingly. Chekov nervously drummed his fingers on the control panel as he recounted his observations.

"Ze outer atmosphere of Tremonillian has an electromagnetic pull so powerful zat it vill not let a beam through," he explained for a third time. The control room was completely silent. No one dared to so much as breathe. Leila sat heavily in her chair.

"So we need to land," she concluded. "Actually _land_. On an unfamiliar, possibly hostile planet." She looked up. "Has this ever been done before?" The question was directed at Chekov, but it was Kirk who answered.

"Not in a couple hundred years." His hushed voice lingered in the silence. A very young, very naive ensign spoke up.

"Why is this so bad?" she wondered aloud. "Beaming just makes things quicker. So what if we're here a little longer?"

"Dammit, girl, do you even have a brain?" Bones exploded, rounding on her. "Beaming doesn't just make things quicker and easier. It's an outlet from danger. What if our explorers are down there? What if Tremonillian proves to be hostile? What if one of the explorers gets captured? What if an enemy is holding a phaser to our man's head? What if, hmm? We won't be able to beam him out of there. And you know what will happen next?" Bones challenged, advancing a step. The girl shook her head, looking terrified. "BOOM! Our man's dead. Got that, girl?" The girl gave a little whimper and took off down the hallway with wide eyes.

"Always the optimist, aren't we?" Kirk observed, looking at his friend with a certain element of humor in his eyes.

"I'm just stating the facts, Jim," Boned retorted. "How would _you_ like to be that captured explorer down there?"

"Ah, but there's the problem right there. _I _would never get captured," Kirk replied calmly, his eyes twinkling.

"Jim, without the protection of beaming, you'll be an easy target for capture. It doesn't matter _how_ good you are. I don't care what you say or how badly you want to go, you're _not _going down there. It's just too dangerous," Boned argued.

"Oh, yes I am!" Kirk exclaimed emphatically. "Bones, we _knew_ this mission would be dangerous when we signed on. _Pike_ knew it would be dangerous. That's why he asked us. If this was an easy 'let's go picnicking and gallivanting in the woods to pick wildflowers' type of mission, he would have sent Morgan or Belruss or one of those pacifist types. They have no backbone. But he didn't send them, did he? He sent _us_. He sent us because he knows we'll get the job done, no matter what happens." Bones looked unhappy as Kirk continued. "I signed on this mission because I knew it would be dangerous. You know that, Bones. I don't like an easy mission. Those are boring. I like it _hard_."

"I'll bet you do," Leila snorted. Instantly she clapped a hand over her mouth, horrified at herself. Kirk stared at her for a moment, shocked. Then he barked out a loud laugh. This seemed to ease the tension in the room, and other people began to chuckle too. Leila's face turned bright red as she tried to redeem herself. "Okay, so the plan is that we land, we get off the _Stargazer_, and we explore. Let's get on with this. We're not accomplishing anything by waiting around here." Leila turned and strode to her seat, wishing she could melt through the floor.

"Aye, Keptin," Chekov grinned, turning a few dials and punching the sliver lever to his right. Kirk took his usual spot behind Leila's chair and Elvira, Bones, and Acelynn moved to their respective posts as the _Stargazer_ hit warp speed once more. Three seconds later the ship slowed. Curious eyes in the room peered out at the planet before them. From their position in space, Tremonillian looked to be a solid green planet with patched of white clouds.

"Slow her down," Leila ordered. "Let's find this crater." The _Stargazer_ slowed even more, just barely moving through the inky blackness as those onboard inspected the planet beneath them. Chekov steered the ship around the planet's curve.

"There!" Acelynn exclaimed. She needn't have said anything. Elvira drew a sharp intake of breath. None of them had expected this. The crater lay before them, a giant dent in the planet's surface covered by a distinct blue-green haze. It was gigantic, spanning nearly a fourth of the planet's visible area.

"Chekov. Land there," Leila pointed. "Close to the crater, but not on it," she quietly directed. Chekov nodded and looked around.

"We vill experience major turbulence, as we go through ze outer atmosphere. It vill not cause trouble. It is only the ship's reaction to the electromagnetic charges of ze outer atmosphere. All ze shields are functional and active, including ze Welocity Contriturate Prevention Shield, which is ze reason we vill not be crushed to death and torn to pieces by ze intense pressure," Chekov explained to the other members, in an attempt at reassurance. Leila looked around and noted that his words had the opposite effect; some people began to look unnaturally green in the face. Chekov deftly maneuvered the starship to aim it at the landing site. The _Stargazer_ began to tremble, which soon increased to the intensity of a scale three earthquake. Leila's teeth chattered at the frenzied vibrations. Standing crew members grasped at anything they could hold on to so as not to be thrown to the floor. Leila fleetingly wondered if the _Stargazer_ would make it through without being – what had Chekov said? – crushed to death and torn to pieces by the intense pressure. The ship creaked and Leila's eyes flew to see if anything had cracked. Nothing. Yet. Minute after minute passed, with the trembling only becoming more intense.

Finally, just as Leila thought the ship would succumb to the pressure, the convulsions slightly decreased. Another minute passed as the ship hurtled downward. The shuddering turned to trembling, which lessened even more until it transitioned to a slight vibration and faded away altogether. Leila let out a breath of relief that she hadn't realized she had been holding in.

"Made it through the first part," she heard Kirk mutter from behind her. "Now let's land this baby."

"Chekov," Leila addressed, "take her down at the northwestern side of the crater. Land her just beyond the crater's edge, but before the tree line."

"Aye, Keptin." Chekov expertly steered the vessel to the exact spot Leila had directed. He let the _Stargazer_ hover for a moment, inspecting his computers. Apparently satisfied, he flicked a few more dials and landed the ship smoothly on the hard ground. Safely landed, the crew of the _Stargazer_ sat in silence. Kirk, of course, would be the one to break it.

"So. That went well," he exclaimed brightly. Someone chuckled. Another laughed. Then the room exploded in a relieved atmosphere of laughter, cheering, and applause. Acelynn threw her arms around Chekov, who blushed deeply. Even Bones, still very much worried about the mission ahead of them, couldn't help but grin at the successful landing. The room was boisterous, and Leila didn't try to stop the noise. The high spirits would improve the crew's morale. Even so, the noise eventually died down as they waited in anticipation for their captain to speak. When all was quiet, Leila pressed the button on the side of her chair for the intercom.

"This is Captain Leila speaking. I rejoice in the fact that we have landed safely and successfully on the planet Tremonillian." More applause, shorter this time, as her voice continued to echo throughout the ship. "Now the real mission begins. All who have been selected for the exploration mission, please make your way to the emanation platform immediately." She paused. "Captain Kirk and I will join you. Waste no time. The shorter we are here, the less danger we will face. Thank you. Over." Leila released the button and turned to Kirk. "Are you ready?"

"I was born ready," he replied with a cocky grin.

"Mhm," Leila dismissed. "Let's go." She looked at Bones, Elvira, and Acelynn. Elvira and Bones stood very close to each other, and Acelynn still had her arms wrapped around Chekov. Suppressing a laugh at the younger girl, Leila nodded at the three of them. The doctors and first mate took that as an invitation, and Leila, Kirk, Bones, Elvira, and Acelynn strode out of the bridge together.

Soon enough, they reached the emanation platform, where all the chosen Starfleet and Alliance members waited. Each one carried a pack complete with emergency rations, a medical kit, a hatchet, and, of course, a small tent in which to sleep. Leila immediately realized her mistake.

"Crew of the _Stargazer_," she announced. "This is not our exploration mission. This is more of a…" she hunted for the right word, "pre-exploration, or recon mission before we actually begin. The actual mission will commence tomorrow or the day after, depending on how much information we gather today. You may leave your packs on the ship. We won't be needing them." The group dropped their packs, some looking relieved and others seeming annoyed and anxious. Leila ignored the expression and turned to the blast doors before them. She touched a keypad next to the doors and grazed her fingers over the pad, activating the operation code. A small microphone emerged from the wall.

"Blast doors, open," she commanded. Both she and the rest of the crew took a step backward just before the titanium blast doors slid open. Together, Leila and Kirk took the first steps onto the alien planet of Tremonillian.


	10. Reconnaissance

**Reconnaissance **

Leila cast her eyes around the terrain, taking in what information she could. The climate wasn't as bad as she had expected. For some reason, she expected a huge, rocky terrain, complete with towering mountains and deep chasms. But Tremonillian was nothing of the sort. In fact, it was rather Earth-like. Leila had spent much time in South American, as that was where the main branch of the Alliance was located. Tremonillian and South America seemed almost exactly alike, from what she saw.

Giant green trees stood as sentries around the clearing of the crater. The heart-shaped leaves trembled in the very slight breeze. The ground was soft and muddy, as though there had been a rainstorm the night before. Leila took notice of the insanely hot, humid climate and made a mental note to prepare her crew for another rainstorm. She knew from experience that a rainforest was only dry for a day or two, three at the most. Eventually the explorers would be operating in the rain. Leila looked around at her crew, who had begun to spread out a little bit. Most of them still clumped in groups of two or three, apprehensive about being on their own. Leila didn't blame them. It was very unsettling, being in an environment remarkably like Earth's, but knowing that a hostile creature could be lurking behind the nearest tree. Leila inspected the trees again, looking for any misplaced shadows or glints of metal. Finding none, she joined Elvira and Acelynn by a large rock to discuss the terrain.

"What do you think?" she asked, nodding toward the forest.

"I'm not sure," Elvira answered cautiously. "There are a lot of places for someone to hide. I don't think it's safe for us to stay out here longer than necessary."

"I was thinking the same thing," Leila nodded. "This environment is almost exactly like Earth's. I don't think we can learn anything more about it by staying here another hour."

"Aw, come on. We just got here!" a voice protested from behind them. The girls turned to see Kirk and Bones approaching. Kirk wore his usual cocky smile, and Bones looked none too happy to be there.

"Kirk. We won't learn anything more. We've been out here for an hour already. We've learned all we can," Leila explained, exasperated. She knew he wouldn't leave it at that.

"I don't know. I think we can learn some more. The longer we're out here, the better chance we have of discovering something."

"No. The longer we're out here, the more dangerous it is," corrected Leila, glaring at him. She really wasn't in the mood for this. The heat was making her irritable. Kirk returned the look. The two captains glowered at each other in silence. Kirk broke the staring contest.

"Whatever," he finally shrugged. Without giving them another glance, he turned and walked away. The girls and Bones stared after him for a long minute before he disappeared behind a small group of explorers.

"Well, we should probably issue the order," Acelynn suggested. Agreeing, Leila deftly jumped up on top of the rock before them and raised her voice.

"Crew of the _Stargazer_. We will be returning to the ship momentarily. Do _not_ begin any more explorations. That is all." From her vantage point, she could see Kirk speaking quietly with a young Starfleet member she knew to be called Jensen. Her eyes narrowed. Kirk looked suspiciously like he was giving orders. Leila hopped down from the rock and began to march toward them. Elvira gave her a questioning look, but Leila shook her head, as if to say 'no, you stay here.' The doctor gave the slightest of nods and launched into a distracting conversation with Bones and Acelynn. Leila continued to stride forward. By the time she reached Kirk, Jensen had disappeared.

"What did you say to him?" she demanded, halting in front of him.

"What do you mean?" Kirk replied, feigning ignorance.

"You told Jensen something. What was it?"

"I was just talking to him about the mission," Kirk claimed innocently.

"Sure you were. And why was he nodding?"

"Usually when someone agrees with you, the response is a nod." He spoke as if this was completely obvious. It occurred to Leila that he was wasting time. Although she craned her neck around Kirk to look, Jensen was still nowhere to be found.

"Where is he?"

"Where is who?"

"Jensen."

"I don't know."

"You're lying."

"Come on. Why would you assume that?"

"Because that's who you are. Where is he?"

"I already told you."

"Great. Now tell the truth."

"Leila, I don't know why you –"

"Captain Kirk, Captain Leila, is something wrong?" a voice came from beside them. Leila spun around to find Jensen calmly standing by.

"Jensen. Where were you?" she questioned.

"What do you mean where was I? I was right here, talking to Jacobs," he claimed, pointing to his friend nearby. Perfectly timed, Jacobs gave a small wave in response to the gesture. Too perfectly.

"And you were there this whole time?"

"Yes, Captain." Leila's quick eyes scanned his body. His dark boots were covered in mud, which would not be so uncommon, seeing as nearly everyone's shoes were also masked in mud. But this mud was different. It was a darker, richer color, and bits of ferns stuck to the boots.

"You've been in the forest." It was not a question, but a statement. Jensen's eyes shot to Kirk and then back.

"No, I –" he began.

"Don't you dare lie to me, Jensen, or I'll make sure that the next mission you're assigned to will involve intergalactic garbage transportation," Leila threatened menacingly. Jensen hesitated a moment, evidently trying to decide whether or not the captain was bluffing. He seemed to come to the conclusion that she was completely serious, for he lowered his eyes and answered her.

"Yes, Captain Leila. I – I was in the forest," he admitted, head down.

"And you were aware that I gave specific orders _not_ to explore the forest during this first expedition?"

"Yes, Captain. I was aware of those orders."

"Then what clearance did you have to disobey these orders?" She waited for the answer to come. It didn't. Jensen kept silent, still averting his eyes, clearly wishing to escape the captain's wrath. "Jensen, when I ask a question I expect you to answer it. Shall we try once more? _What clearance did you have to disobey my orders?_" she demanded again. Jensen remained mute. "Jensen, I won't ask you again. What –"

"My clearance." Leila snapped her head up to glare at Kirk.

"_Excuse me?_" she growled, her voice low and dangerous.

"I said _my_ clearance. He did not disobey your orders. He received new orders. From me," Kirk stated, meeting Leila's furious eyes. Jensen wisely chose this moment to vacate the premises.

"_You_ gave him _new_ orders?" Leila shrieked, whirling on the other captain. "After I made it _very_ clear what the orders were?" Kirk seemed unperturbed.

"I am the captain of the _Enterprise_. As Jensen is a member of the crew of the _Enterprise_, he is _my_ crew member, _my_ responsibility. Although we may be on a different ship, my crew will take orders from _me_, not some girl they met a few days ago."

"Some _girl_?" Leila screeched. "Some _girl_?" Jensen is on _my_ ship, Kirk. If you had forgotten, _I_ am captain of the ship, and therefore _I_ am in charge of the crew!"

"My crew is loyal only to me. We have been through a lot together. They will only follow orders of which I approve." Leila's voice dropped to a deadly whisper.

"Must I remind you that you are a _guest_ on this ship, Captain? You are _not_ acting captain. _I am_. You are _not_ at liberty to issue orders. _I am_. I would advise you, _Captain_, to remember this in the future. I am running out of patience for insolent fools like you. I'll see you on the ship, _Captain_," Leila growled. She spun away, her hair whipping about her face, every inch of her body seething rage.

"Acelynn, Elvira, meet me in my quarters. Immediately," she ordered through her teeth, stalking past the spot where they waited with Bones. She did not wait for an answer.


	11. Complications

**Complications**

By the time Acelynn and Elvira entered Leila's quarters, the captain's head had somewhat cleared. She was still enraged at Kirk, but she had calmed down enough to think logically. She had already started plotting a way to make him see _her_ as the true and only captain. Leila sat at her desk, hands folded neatly in front of her, when Elvira and Acelynn entered. Both looked wary.

"Leila, what happened?" Elvira asked as soon as the door was shut behind her. Leila relayed the day's previous events. Both of them had nearly the same reaction as she had had, if toned down a little.

"You've got to be kidding," Elvira commented. "He must be out of his mind."

"How could he do that?" Acelynn added.

"Now that we're here, he must have decided to take control of the mission," assumed Leila. "I won't let him do that."

"What do you have in mind?" Elvira asked cautiously. She knew that her friend's temper could sometimes get the best of her, spurring her to take rather unwise actions. But Leila had thought this over, and she knew what she wanted to do.

"We had already agreed to split into two separate groups. Each of us would lead one of the groups," Leila informed, rising and walking slowly around to the front of her desk. She leaned back on the desk, folding her arms thoughtfully. "We had decided that both groups would play a part in the exploration."

"Leila, you can't take Starfleet out of the expedition completely," Acelynn argued.

"No, I can't," Leila agreed, her eyes sparkling. "What I _can_ do is assign specific missions for the groups. My group can go explore the crater and the forest, and his group can do…other things."

"Such as…?" Elvira hinted.

"Well _someone_ needs to keep the ship safe. I mean, what happens if a savage little native comes along and attacks the ship? _Someone_, in this case Kirk and his group, will be here to defend it. Seeing as they're the big, strong protectors of this whole mission, nobody can argue against it," Leila grinned mischievously. She watched her friends' faces as the plan sunk in.

"Perfect!" Acelynn exclaimed.

"You don't think Kirk will argue against the assignment?" Elvira questioned, looking for any faults in the plot.

"No, I think he'll argue. That's the only problem. But if we can keep him away from the assignments tonight, he'll never have the chance. We'll be leaving in the morning, and, once he finds out, he won't have the opportunity or contingency plan to argue with. We'll be gone, and I know he won't leave the ship completely unprotected if we expect him to be there. He'll have to stay. There will be no other choice. And that means he'll be following my orders," Leila explained triumphantly.

"Perfect!" Acelynn proclaimed again. Leila was still looking at Elvira. She could tell from Elvira's eyes that the doctor was sifting through the plan, looking for any flaws. Finally a slow smile started on her face.

"Not bad," she ruled, nodding appreciatively. Leila grinned again.

"Good. So Ace, I'll need you to change the assignments. I would do it myself, but Kirk might get suspicious and check them out." The first officer nodded and headed toward the door. She was about to open it when Elvira's voice stopped her.

"Wait," she ordered. Acelynn conceded and walked back to them, confusion flooding her features. "Are you sure about this, Leila?" Elvira inquired, looking at her friend.

"What do you mean? Of course I'm sure. I need to show Kirk who's in charge. I need to establish my authority to his crew, too, for that matter. This is about principle."

"So this isn't personal?"

"Sure it is, to some degree. But not completely. What are you getting at?"

"I'm not sure," Elvira replied slowly, biting her lip in thought.

"Elvira. Just say it," Leila urged. The doctor remained silent, seeming to struggle for the right words. Finally she found her words.

"In winter of last year," she began, "a man came to see me for his annual check-up. He had always been a very healthy man. Perfect vitals. No conditions. Exercised daily." She paused, and Leila wondered what this story was leading up to. "Well for this check-up, everything was fine until I checked his blood pressure. Although in past years it had been perfectly steady, this year it had jumped. There didn't seem to be any reason for it. I asked him if anything had changed in his lifestyle. He explained that he had changed jobs. Without any further prodding, he began to tell me about his boss.

'She's the most maddening human being you'll ever meet,' he told me. He continued in this manner for another ten minutes, until I stopped him. I'm no psychiatrist, but I knew that whatever effect this woman had on him could be extremely long-lasting. I told him this. I also told him to calm down when around her or she would be the cause of a heart-attack. He grumbled a little, but agreed to try to cooperate a little more with his boss." Elvira paused once more. Leila searched her face to find any hint of the story's moral. She found none, and continued listening intently, still very confused. "This past winter the man returned for his annual check-up. I performed the check-up and found, to my surprise, that his blood pressure had dropped to its normal level. I asked the man if he followed my advice.

'I sure did,' he answered, all smiles.

'And how are you getting along with your boss?' I asked cautiously. The man's smile widened, and he held up his left hand so I could see the sparkly silver wedding ring.

'We were married three months ago,' he announced. Apparently his boss was giving him a hard time because she had feelings for him. And he retaliated because he had the same feelings for her. They loved each other," Elvira ended, looking closely at Leila. Acelynn's mouth dropped open.

"You're – I – are you telling me that you think _I love Kirk_?" Leila gasped, staring at Elvira with wide eyes.

"No, not necessarily," Elvira corrected. "I think you may have feelings for each other. I've seen the way you look at him, and he at you." Now Leila's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe this.

"Oh, you two would be so _cute_ together!" Acelynn squealed. "You're perfect for each other! And, although you would never admit it, you definitely have the same personalities. You and him! Why didn't I think of that? We definitely need to set you –" she babbled excitedly. Leila overcame her surprise and held up one hand.

"Stop," she insisted. "_No one_ is going to set us up. Ever. And Elvira, trust me. The only _feelings_ I have for Kirk are those of disgust and loathing," she maintained.

"I'm not sure," Elvira repeated. Then she shrugged. "As long as this is what you want."

"This is what I want. Acelynn, go change the assignments," Leila instructed. Acelynn rolled her eyes and headed to the door, muttering something about being oblivious to the truth. "Elvira, tell those in the exploration groups to get some sleep. It will be a long mission, and they'll need to be alert and on guard." After a long look at the captain, Elvira nodded and also made her way to the door, shutting it behind her.

Leila stood, staring at the door for a full minute. Then she walked back around her desk to slowly lower herself into her chair. She distractedly ordered the disorganized papers on her desk as she thought about Elvira's words. _Did_ she have feelings for Kirk? Her dream screamed _yes_. Reality pulled her in a totally different direction.

Leila shook her head to dismiss the thoughts. She needed to focus on the mission, not some problematic captain. Leila stood and went to the shower. She always found that a hot shower would never fail to clear her mind and calm her. She stood in the hot water, allowing the steaming cascade to wash away all her thoughts. It occurred to the captain that this would be her last definite shower in who knew how long.

Once out of the shower, Leila quickly dressed in her captain's uniform and combed out her long locks. She had wanted to go straight to bed, but she figured that it would be a good idea to check into the bridge before retiring. She didn't want Kirk to think she was hiding from him. Leila had just returned her comb to its spot on her dresser when the door flew open. Leila spun around, taken by surprise. Kirk stood in the doorway, the bright light from the hallway contrasting sharply with the low light in Leila's quarters. The strong light made a sort of glow around Kirk's silhouette.

Leila took one look at Kirk's face and instantly knew that he was furious. _Extremely_ furious. Good. Finally something had ruffled his feathers. Leila could only think of one thing that would create such a response, but had no clue as to how he had discovered the assignment change so soon.

"Good evening, Kirk. May I help you?" Leila asked politely, feigning ignorance, as he had done earlier.

"What the _hell _did you do?" Kirk demanded, not bothering with a greeting. He stepped forward into the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

"I don't follow. To what are you referring?"

"Don't even try. You know exactly what I'm talking about!" he roared. "The assignment change!"

"What about it?"

"Dammit, Leila, what gave you the right to issue an assignment change? This is a _joint mission_!"

"As captain, I've always had that right."

"Sure. And now, as _captain_, you're going to lead your little Girl Scout troop into unfamiliar and quite possibly hostile territory. _Great_ plan."

"My crew can handle it fine!" Leila yelled, her patience quickly ebbing away.

"Of course they can!" Kirk agreed, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Remind me again how many exploration and combat missions you've been assigned to?"

"I don't see how that has anything to do with this. My 'little Girl Scout troop,' as you've so nicely dubbed them, needs to start somewhere. _You_ had to start somewhere. You weren't always a perfect little legend."

"Yeah, I had to start somewhere. You want to know the difference between your start and mine? I had common sense! I never assigned my inexperienced crew to investigate a new planet! _I wanted my crew to live!_ Don't put your pride before your crew, Leila!"

"My crew _completely_ supports my decision! And this has _nothing_ to do with pride! It's _principle_, Kirk!" Her patience had completely run out.

"_Principle?_" he yelled, stepping closer.

"Yes! Principle! You've been undermining my command ever since we were assigned to this mission! In every way!" she screamed, livid.

"I'm a _captain_, Leila! My crew still recognizes me as such, and I _will_ perform as captain when concerning this mission!"

"_You have no right!_" Leila screeched into his face.

"I have _every_ right!" he bellowed. "You made up your mind about me the day we met. You hate me, Leila! _That's_ why you don't have any intention of cooperating! It's not about this principle business! Don't lie to yourself! Own up to it! You hate me!"

"_Of course I hate you!_" Leila shrieked. "I'm glad you finally caught on! You're an arrogant, irresponsible, pompous, stubborn, self-centered son of a –" Kirk suddenly closed the gap between them with two steps and silenced Leila with a crushing kiss. Forgetting her words, Leila responded, bringing her arms up to wrap around his neck. She sighed around the kiss and clutched him closer.

Then she remembered who she was kissing. It was Kirk. She _hated_ Kirk, no matter what effect his kiss had on her.

She pulled away, indignant.

"How dare you!" she accused. "Do you honestly think you have the right to _kiss_ me?" she exclaimed, her voice creeping up an octave. Her face was just inches from his, and her arms were left draping around his shoulders. "I don't…I can't even…," she trailed off furiously. An enraged fire filled her eyes. Suddenly she tightened her hold on the back of his neck, pulling him closer so their lips met once more. Kirk responded, using his teeth to tug gently on her bottom lip. His hands moved to her still-wet hair, fingers running through the damp locks. His hands trailed further down her back and she gave a slight intake of breath. Then Kirk backed away, still infuriated.

"You presume to tell _me_ what I dare?" he challenged, his eyes wild. "I can't even begin to tell you how much you…how much…," and he stopped with a livid shake of his head. Leila could feel his hot breath on her face. They silently glared into each other's eyes, bodies touching and hearts racing. Then, for a third time, their lips met and they fell victim to their overwhelming passion. They put all of their rage into the kiss. Leila's hands moved to his hair, tangling in it as she gasped for breath. Kirk pushed her against the desk, freeing a hand to swipe all the papers off. He used his free hand to pick her up and shift her to the top of the desk. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer. Leila briefly broke her lips from his and tugged his shirt over his head, throwing it to the floor next to them. She ran her hands over his smooth muscles, hearing his gratified sigh as she returned her lips to his. Their lips flawlessly moved in unison, as though they were made for each other. Kirk moved his lips down to her neck, lingering there.

"Oh, James," she gasped, suddenly wanting nothing more than to be rid of the thin layer of clothing between them. Kirk seemed to read her mind. His mouth moved back to hers as he slipped off her tight-fitting shirt as well, throwing it to the same place as she discarded his. His hands traced invisible patterns across her body; his touch left her skin burning, aching for more. Their breath came in ragged pants, although neither of them had any intention of letting up. Leila's whole body felt as if it was on fire. Kirk's hand moved to her skirt. He slid the sleek fabric up her thigh as…

A knock sounded at the door. Leila and Kirk snapped their heads up, gasping for breath.

"Captain Leila? You're needed on the bridge," a runner's voice announced from the other side of the door.

"Yes, thank you. I will be there in a moment," Leila replied breathlessly, her body still fully wrapped around Kirk. They listened to the runner's footsteps melt away down the corridor, pulses pounding.


	12. United

**United **

Leila and Kirk walked down the corridor to the bridge together, taking special care not to touch. Neither captain wanted to alert the crew of the recent occurrences in Leila's quarters. Leila snuck a look at Kirk. The passionate sensation in the pit of her stomach had not faded in the slightest. By seeing the still-wild expression in Kirk's eyes, Leila knew that he felt the same. It took all of her self-control to restrain herself from finishing what they started right there in the corridor.

Thankfully, the walk to the bridge was mercifully short. The two captains entered the room to find Elvira, Bones, and Acelynn leaning over a stainless steel PADD. They all looked up at the sound of their approach.

"Took you long enough to get here," Bones grumbled. "What have you been doing?" Leila met Kirk's eyes for a fraction of a second before answering.

"We were just discussing the group assignments for tomorrow," she fibbed. _It's technically not a lie_, she thought to herself. _I just left out what happened…afterward_. Kirk walked over to the others nonchalantly. Leila followed after a moment; it was if some invisible force was drawing her toward him. Not that she minded.

"Good. At least we're on the same page. We were discussing the same thing. The assignment change is…" Bones began. Leila cut him off, making a split-second decision.

"The assignment change isn't happening," she stated. Everyone, including Kirk, stared at her in surprise. She gave Kirk a meaningful look as she continued. "While Captain Kirk and I were…talking…we decided that the mission would be better executed by combining our two groups and leading them together." She shot another look at Kirk, who took the hint.  
"Right," he agreed, acting as if this announcement was old news. "We decided that it would be safer this way. We can't beam out of any danger, so we will have a larger group for protection."

"Exactly. Strength in numbers," Leila finished, nodding and hoping no one would notice the glances she had given the other captain. She looked around at the doctors and the first officer, all of whom were staring at the captains as if they had both grown a third head. Leila noticed Elvira's suspicious eyes flick over her and Kirk, and she decided to rush the rest of the conversation as to avoid unwanted questions. "So," she exclaimed, "this single group should be easier to manage than two different ones. We'll just head out tomorrow for the actual exploration mission. Good? Good. Anyway, it will be a long mission, and we'll need our wits about us, so I think I'll be off to bed. Unless we have anything further to discuss?" She waited a beat for someone to speak. When no one uttered a word, Leila continued. "Okay, then. Goodnight. I'll see you in the morning." She gave the group before her a broad smile before turning to leave. She lightly brushed Kirk's hand with her own, feeling the electric shock the touch caused, and flashed him another meaningful look on her way out. She could see the passion in his eyes and knew that she would have a visitor later in the night.

She was not disappointed.

Leila heard as her door softly opened. She heard the quiet click as it shut behind him. She heard the muted sound of fabric dropping to the ground. She heard the sheets rustle as he climbed into the bed with her. A hand slid up her bare back, and the feeling in the pit of her stomach intensified into a yearning fire. She felt his lips on her neck, and a quiet sigh escaped her lips. The last thing she heard before delving into a night of unrestrained and uninterrupted passion was Kirk's husky whisper in her ear.

"Now show me just how much you hate me." And she did just that.

Leila lay on her stomach with her eyes closed. She was aware that it was morning. She was also aware that the mission would begin today. However, neither of these things seemed as important as the events of last night and the fact that the subject of said events was still lying beside her. This was no dream. She and Kirk were pressed up against each other, her head resting on his chest. She stretched out and tilted her head so that she could see his face. Realizing she was awake, he slowly opened his eyes to peer down at her and give her a contented smile. She mirrored the smile. He brought his lips down to kiss the top of her head, and she was reminded of the night before. And later that night. And early that morning. And later that morning. And…a throat cleared and launched Leila out of her sensual memories. Her eyelids flew open even further as she bolted upright in the bed, her movements causing her sheets to slip down and expose her bare chest.

Elvira and Acelynn stood at the foot of the bed, holding three cups of coffee. Acelynn's face was a mask of shock. Her jaw hung open and her eyes looked as if they would bulge out of her head. Elvira was slightly more composed, but not by much. It didn't take Leila long to realize that she was the one who had cleared her throat and alerted her to their presence.

"Perhaps we should have brought another cup of coffee?" Elvira noted coolly, raising one eyebrow so high that it was in danger of disappearing beneath her hairline. The doctor's words snapped Leila out of her state of dumbfounded shock. Heat flooding her cheeks, she grasped at the sheets and pulled them up to cover her chest, whipping her head from her friends to Kirk, and back to her friends. Kirk leisurely propped himself up on one elbow.

"Can we help you?" he asked, choosing to overlook the immensely awkward situation in which they had just found themselves. Elvira hesitated a moment before walking over to Leila's side of the bed and setting down a coffee.

"Our mission is set to depart in one hour. You both should be ready in a half hour," the doctor informed, glancing between the two captains. "We will…see you on the bridge." Leila managed a small nod as Elvira dragged the frozen form of Acelynn out the door.  
As soon as the door clicked shut, Leila pulled the white sheets up and disappeared beneath them, mortified.

"Well that was a good way for them to find out," she heard Kirk chuckle from outside her linen cocoon.

"I couldn't think of a worse way," she whimpered, her voice muffled by the sheets. She felt Kirk tug on the sheets, but, as she wouldn't let go, he abandoned that angle and joined her beneath them.

"It's quicker and easier than telling them," he assured her. Leila whimpered once more, anything but comforted. Kirk sighed, seeing Leila's obvious anxiety over the situation. Then he grinned devilishly, convinced of a way to take her mind off things. "Well," he murmured huskily, his mouth very close to her ear, "we still have a half hour." Leila felt a very pleasant shiver pass through her body at his words.

"But we'll be late," she protested halfheartedly. With one quick move Kirk spun her around so that she was looking up from beneath him. He flashed her another mischievous grin.

"They'll survive." He took the overwhelming sensation of her lips against his as consent.


	13. Exploration

**Exploration**

"What do you think?" Leila asked, turning so Kirk could get a full look at her outfit. The Alliance, unlike Starfleet, provided separate uniforms for on-site exploration missions which all members were required to possess. Kirk had seemed surprised when Leila had told him, but what had he expected? Did he really think that they ran around on unfamiliar ground wearing short skirts and high heels? Kirk sat on Leila's bed, already dressed in his golden captain's uniform. Leila turned back to him with a smile, enjoying the widening of his eyes. She knew he would like this uniform.

Leila wore a rather tightly fitted forest-green tank top. Her Alliance necklace was just visible about the top of the shirt. Her long, dark hair hung in a braid over her shoulder, the leather tie nearly reaching the thick black Alliance belt at her waist. Tight black leather pants fit her form perfectly, clinging to every curve in her body. They began low at her waist and ran down her legs until they disappeared into ebony combat boots. Leila gave another little twirl.

"Well?" she prompted

"Not bad," Kirk commented, regaining some composure. "Not bad at all. It looks great on you. But it would better on the floor," he added, grinning. He rose from the bed and wrapped his arms around the other captain. "You're sure we can't be just a little later?" he murmured in her ear. Leila felt her body respond instantaneously. But she had been the responsible one earlier, and she had to resist temptation again now, as hard as it was. She turned her head slightly to kiss the hollow spot beneath his ear. She smiled at the shiver the action elicited.

"We're late enough," she whispered in his ear.

"Why do you torture me?" he groaned, pulling her closer for a second before releasing her. Leila merely smiled and took his hand to lead him out the door.

This walk to the bridge was different than the previous one for two reasons. The first was that the captains were satisfied enough not to want to pounce on each other in the middle of the corridor. The second was that neither of them cared whether or not the crew knew about their budding romance. They walked onto the bridge hand in hand, not offering any explanations for their newly changed behavior towards one another. Leila noticed immediately that Elvira and Acelynn were at their posts, dressed identically to their captain, although neither sported a braid. Acelynn had gathered her golden hair in two low pigtails at each side of her head, while Elvira had captured her sleek brunette hair in a ponytail high at the top of her head. Unsurprisingly, Bones had drifted over to where the doctor stood. He raised a questioning eyebrow at the captains' entrance but held his tongue. Leila met Elvira's eyes for a short second before looking away.

"Are we ready?" the captain asked, looking over at Acelynn.

"Yes, the exploration group is down at the emanation platform, prepared to love – I mean leave!" Acelynn quickly corrected, her face turning a deep shade of crimson. Leila wasn't sure whether she should laugh or cry at her first officer's words. Instead of doing either, she decided to overlook them. She nodded once.

"Thank you. Shall we join them?" She looked toward Bones and Elvira who, along with Acelynn, nodded and joined the captains. "Chekov, take the con," Leila ordered. "We don't know how long we will be gone. We all have these radios," she held up a small black device, "so if you need to communicate with us you can. Only do so when necessary, though, because we don't want to be too loud out there. Understood?"

"Yes, Keptin. Understood," the young ensign replied.

"Good. Then we'll see you when we get back!" Leila gave the crew on the bridge a wide smile before turning and disappearing through the doors with her four companions.  
When they arrived at the emanation platform, Leila went through the same speech with the exploration group. Not one face had any trace of anything but seriousness. Leila reflected that she, Elvira, and Acelynn did a very good job of choosing their portion of the group.

"If anyone is having second thoughts about being a part of this exploration mission and does not want to proceed, then he or she may leave at this time. You will not be subject to ridicule due to your decision," Leila stated. To her pride, not one of the crew members so much as shuffled. She waited another minute before striding to the blast doors. "Blast doors, open," she ordered once more, after tapping the operation code into the keypad. The doors immediately slid open and a blast of heat hit Leila's face as the forests of Tremonillian appeared before her once more.

The exploration group immediately began investigating the perimeter of the crater, hoping to gain some knowledge about its origin. Two and a half hours had passed before anything useful was discovered, and even then, nobody knew what to make of the information. Leila, Kirk, Bones, Elvira, and Acelynn had grouped together for a discussion when Sandrana, one of the Alliance's chemical experts, came running up to Leila with a Digital Substance Sampler in her hand and a confused look on her face.

"Captain," she saluted tersely. Leila looked up from the others. She noted the tense look on the expert's face.

"Sandrana. Have you found something?" she inquired quickly.

"Yes. I…I ran some samples on the soil inside the crater. It appears that it was…burned," Sandrana replied hesitantly.

"Burned?" Elvira repeated, narrowing her eyes.

"Yes. But…," the chemist hesitated again, "it wasn't burned by fire."

"Well then what could have possibly burned the soil, if not fire?" Acelynn questioned, incredulous.

"I don't know. It's nothing I've ever seen before," Sandrana responded, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "Its effects resemble those of fire, but it completely changes the chemical properties of the soil. It's almost as though it's the reason for the crater's appearance. But I can't be sure. The entire composition has changed." She looked up at Leila, who was just as confused as she.

"Thank you, Sandrana. Continue looking for information," she ordered after a minute. The chemist gave another nod to the group before her, then turned and marched back the way she had come. Leila turned to her companions, all of whom wearing similar masks of bewilderment.

"Ideas?" she prompted.

"It doesn't make any sense. If it's burned it could be natural, but there were no reports of unusual environmental behavior on the planet," Acelynn spoke up.

"Maybe the natives here did it?" Bones offered.

"No," Kirk disagreed slowly, shaking his head. "They couldn't have. Why would they harm their own planet? Unless it was a mistake? Maybe –" he kept talking, but Leila's attention suddenly focused on the forest behind him. She thought she saw something moving out there. She narrowed her eyes, trying to get a better look, quickly scanning the perimeter. Nothing.

"Leila?" Elvira frowned. "Leila, what's wrong?"

"I don't know…," the captain muttered, never taking her eyes from the place to which they had been drawn. "I could have sworn I saw…," she trailed off, peering even closer.

"What did you see?" Kirk demanded, spinning around to examine the edge of the forest.

"I thought – " Leila began. She would never finish the thought.

Out of nowhere, a figure appeared at the edge of the forest. Another one followed. And another. And another. Each held a shiny black contraption in its hand that looked very much like…

"Phasers! Get down, everyone! Now!" Kirk yelled, dropping to the ground and pulling Leila with him. She fell heavily on top of him as a green jet flashed just above her, narrowly missing her head. She knew she had to do something, to take charge, but her suddenly dry mouth couldn't form words. Her brain couldn't think clearly. Luckily Kirk still had his wits about him.

"To the crater!" he roared, his voice seeming to go for miles. He jumped to his feet, and, dragging Leila with him, sprinted toward the perimeter of the crater. Leila could feel Bones, Elvira, and Acelynn on their tail.

The run to the crater seemed unbearably long. Leila was distinctly aware of every green jet that passed through the air. She saw one of the Starfleet members fall and lay still on the ground as a beam of light struck his chest. She felt as though her legs were made of lead, that they would tear off with every step. Her lungs burned for air. Through all this, screams and shouts ripped through the air. She raced onward, the crater looming before her.

After what seemed like an eternity, Leila reached the crater. Kirk hurtled the edge and pulled her in after him. Two more long seconds passed before Elvira and Acelynn jumped in as well, Bones following closely behind. It seemed that the entire exploration group had heard Kirk's call and sought refuge in the crater, using the walls as a sort of foxhole. Before Leila knew what was going on, Kirk had pulled out his phaser and begun firing back at the attackers. Bones followed suit without hesitation, and soon the air was alive with beams of light originating from all directions. The rays of light cut through the air, creating an elaborate network of deadly green jets. Bodies fell on both ends; each fallen man and woman of the _Stargazer_'s crew instilled more and more rage in the captain until she could no longer endure hiding behind the crater's walls. Seeing her crew fight around her made Leila finally summon the courage to join the combat.

With a grim determination, she pulled out her own phaser and popped out from the makeshift foxhole, firing a few jets before disappearing once more behind the wall. She sensed Kirk shoot her a surprised glance as she stuck her head out once more. She quickly took stock of the enemy's numbers. It seemed that there had been twenty or so, but only about five remained. A green jet suddenly passed just feet to the left of the captain. She barely had time to reflect upon how close it had come before another jet shot by even closer.

"Bones!" Elvira shrieked. Leila snapped her head to her left. Bones was limply slumped over the edge of the trench, blood pouring from a wound in his side. He had been hit. Elvira desperately clawed at his side to get him into the safety of the crater.

"Dammit," Kirk cursed under his breath. Within seconds he was at Bones's side, pulling the wounded doctor into the trench. Elvira knelt over him, tears threatening at her eyes. She gave Bones a once-over, pressing her ear to his chest and placing her fingers at his pulse. She carefully inspected the bloody wound in his side. Then, with a tense sigh of relief, she rolled back on her heels for a moment to address Kirk.

"I think he'll be okay," she yelled over the commotion. "I need to start on him now! He can't lose too much blood, or he won't make it!" She hurriedly began tending to his wound. Kirk gave a curt nod, giving Bones one more glance. Then, with a roar of fury, he stood up completely, exposing everything from the waist up to the attackers. With a new ferocity, he introduced his phaser to all the remaining enemies. One by one they fell, silenced by the weapon. The crew flocked to his aid, fighting with a ferocity that could be brought about only by their loyalty to the captain. Within seconds all the adversaries had fallen. Kirk scanned the ground, now littered with bodies. He almost missed it as one of the bodies twitched, moved, and shakily stood up to limp away into the protection of the forest. Almost. He raised his phaser just as the wounded creature disappeared behind a tree. Kirk's eyes shot to Leila's, and suddenly Leila knew what he was going to do before he did it.

Kirk leapt out of the crater.

"No!" Leila cried, the word ripping through her throat. She flew out of the crater and ran after him, catching him before he had gone two feet. "You can't go in there!" she yelled at him, grasping his arm in a vice-like grip. "You'll be killed for sure!"

"Leila," Kirk argued. "I don't have time for this! Every second I stay here is a waste! I have to get to him before he alerts anyone else! This is our only chance!" He tried to pull away, but Leila's grip on his arm only tightened. She pulled him back to face her.

"Don't you dare leave me." Leila's voice had dropped to a whisper, each syllable shaking with passion and pain. Her eyes flashed dangerously. "Don't you even think about it for one minute, Kirk." Kirk shook his head, looking deep into her eyes.

"I have to, Leila. You know I have to." He sighed and leaned down, catching her lips with his in a feverish, almost frantic kiss. Leila tasted the sweetness of his lips mixed with the salt from her tears. Too soon, Kirk broke away, his electric blue eyes meeting with her fiery jade ones. He gave her a wry grin. "Don't wait up for me." With that, he spun and disappeared into the trees.

He was gone.


	14. Follow

**Follow**

Leila stood frozen, rooted to the spot, staring after the place where Kirk had disappeared behind the trees. She heard Acelynn's voice behind her, but the sound held no meaning. All she could think was that Kirk was gone. He was all by himself in hostile territory. He would undoubtedly be killed.

"Leila!" Acelynn yelled out from behind the trench. "Come back here! There's nothing you can do! You'll get yourself killed!" The words sliced Leila's heart like a sword. Acelynn was right. It was logic, pure and simple. What would she do? Go after him? If she did, she would almost certainly die too. What were the odds of surviving? One to a hundred? One to a million? No, the right thing, the logical thing, would be to stay there and wait for Kirk's return, however unlikely it was.

"Leila! Come on! There could be more of them!" Acelynn shouted again. Very slowly, Leila turned to face those in the crater. Acelynn was standing, with one foot on the wall, as if ready to come after Leila and pull her back. Elvira, bent over the still-unconscious Bones, was staring very intently at her captain.

And suddenly, Leila didn't want to be logical.

"Acelynn," she called, contemplating her first officer, "you're captain now. You know what to do." She looked away from Acelynn's shocked face to meet Elvira's eyes. The doctor shook her head once, a silent beg, but Leila could see the lack of hope in her eyes. Elvira knew. She always knew. Nothing would stop the captain once she had made up her mind. Leila gave a grim smile before whirling around and sprinting toward the trees. She could hear the footfalls behind her as Acelynn recovered her shock and tried to stop her friend.

"Leila! Stop!" The calls rang through the heavy air. Leila did not respond. She knew that because of her head start Acelynn could never catch her. Her long legs pounded against the ground, matching the rhythm of her heartbeat. The second she had burst through the trees, the sounds behind her disappeared. It was as if she had entered a whole new world, separate from all she had left behind. Now only one thing remained in her mind: find Kirk.

She glanced around her, but couldn't find any traces the other captain might have left behind. Sucking in a deep breath, Leila started into the forest, in search of her heart.

Kirk hurtled through the trees, glancing down every now and then at the dark drops of blood on the forest floor to check that he was still on the trail. The native couldn't be too far in front of him; how far could the wounded creature have gotten? Kirk tried to focus on the trail, but images of Leila kept popping into his head. He wished with all his heart that he didn't have to leave her. But there was no way the lone survivor could be allowed to escape. If the native population was alerted of the crew's survival, they would probably send double the number of assassins the next time. And Kirk was positive that they would not allow the crew to regroup before the next attack. The only way to survive total annihilation was to stop the sole survivor. Kirk knew this. Leila knew this. Kirk just wished he didn't have to leave her to stop the attacker.

It was odd, the way he felt about Leila. He had known her for such a short time and already felt more strongly about her than any other woman he had ever been with. A strange feeling sprung up in his stomach when he realized that the most troubling part of being killed on this expedition was the fact that he would never see her again. What did that mean?

Kirk checked the trail of blood once more. The drops had become a steady stream. The captain slowed, sensing that the wounded attacker was very close. Was he lying under the brush somewhere, waiting for the opportunity to ambush his enemy? Was he still fleeing? Was he already dead? Kirk cautiously inched along, his whole body alert. Suddenly, Kirk's intuition warned him of another presence, a sound that was out of place. Ahead of him, behind a wall of trees, Kirk became aware of a dim commotion. A faint, guttural noise. The captain stalked forward, pulling his phaser out of the holster at his hip and holding it ready. At about twenty feet from the wall of trees, he stopped and listened again. Another grating string of noises reached his ears. He had finally located the creature. Immediately, Kirk made the decision to run into the clearing, not walk. That way the creature would not have time to fire back. Kirk also felt that he needed to show some bit of compassion; he wouldn't let the creature suffer in agony, although he knew very well that the favor most likely wouldn't have been returned. Inhaling deeply in the humid air, he let his thoughts rest on Leila for one last time. Then he pushed the thoughts out of his head. He took another deep breath, checked that his phaser was still set to kill, and charged toward the row of trees.

Leila tore through the forest, still finding no sign of Kirk. The fear in her chest constricted around her lungs, knocking the wind out of her. If she couldn't find him…what would happen? Had anything happened already? Was Kirk…she forced herself to think it…dead? She felt a sharp pain in her heart even as she denied the thought. No, he couldn't be. He was too smart for that. He had too much experience to let that happen. Leila was sure of it. She continued to race through the forest, eyes and ears alert. Where was he?

Kirk broke through the tree wall and immediately skidded to a stop at the sight before him. The injured attacker knelt in the middle of the clearing, bleeding profusely from multiple wounds on his body. His leg was bent at an odd angle, and he clutched his arm to his chest. This was the first time Kirk actually got a good look at the attacker.

The creature's skin was a rough, dark green shell, the texture reminding Kirk of one of Earth's elephants. Judging by the thick bands of muscle that wrapped around the native's arms and neck, it would probably be able to take on an elephant, too. The creature's arms seemed that they would be able to reach its knees when straightened. Each huge hand possessed seven long, hard fingers, each equipped with yellowing nails. Fairly loose black pants, covered in dirt, reached just above the creature's thick ankles, where they were frayed and muddy. Enormous feet sat at the end of the ankles, the pads of both feet cracked and crusted. The most formidable part of the native was the long black tail that was halfway raised in the air, every inch of it covered with dangerously barbed spikes. The creature's face was nearly as fearsome. Two sharp black horns stuck out from a protruding forehead, accenting the vicious jet black eyes that glared out from underneath it. The perpetual snarl on the creature's face, complete with cracked, yellow teeth coated in dried blood, only added to its menacing height; Kirk guessed it to be about seven or eight feet tall when standing upright.

All this Kirk took in within mere seconds. It did not surprise him to find the creature in the clearing; he had expected this. What he had not expected was the eight identical creatures positioned in various places in the clearing, all staring at him with the same surprised, hostile expressions.


	15. Danger

**Danger**

The two parties stared at each other, frozen in fear and astonishment. The injured native was the first to recover, his wordless shriek piercing the air as he pointed furiously toward Kirk. The other creatures yelled in return and yanked their phasers out of their holsters. Kirk's mind suddenly cleared. He dove to the ground, narrowly avoiding the lethal jets of light that sailed mere inches above his head. Cursing under his breath, the captain dug his hands into the forest floor to launch himself to his feet. Without sparing a second to think about which way he was going, he took off further into the forest, his legs pumping hard beneath him.

Kirk heard the creatures in pursuit. They were closing in. The captain glanced wildly around, searching for a suitable place to hide. The grunts of the attackers grew louder; they were almost within sight. Suddenly Kirk's foot slipped into a hole at the base of one of the massive trees surrounding him. He fell to the ground, his ankle twisting sharply. _Grunt_. Wrenching his ankle out of the hole, the captain snapped his head up to find his pursuers. He could just barely see their shapes moving through the forest, coming closer and closer with each passing second. Kirk spun around, back to the hole in the tree. He poked his hand inside, feeling around to see if it was large enough to hide him. _Grunt_. It would have to do. Without a second thought, Kirk plunged his body into the dark hole, pulling some underbrush over to cover the opening, and praying that he had not just launched himself into some creature's den. He gasped for breath, sweat pouring down his face.

_Grunt_. Kirk snapped his mouth shut, concentrating very hard on the huge dark shapes that had materialized outside his hiding place. 'Go on,' he silently pleaded. 'Keep moving.' The creatures rumbled past, one by one, disappearing further into the forest. Kirk waited a moment to see that they were really gone before letting out a relieved huff. They had passed him. Very cautiously, he removed the brush in front of the hole and crawled out. The captain strained his eyes at the area the creatures had gone. Then he turned and ran the other way.  
Kirk had covered a decent amount of ground when he heard the heavy footfalls. The direction they originated from confused him; the sound was not following behind him, but racing toward him. Kirk stopped suddenly, sliding on some wet underbrush and pulling his phaser out before him, directed at the source of the rapidly approaching footsteps.

The creature erupted from the trees just as Kirk fired. The phaser's blast made a louder sound than he had anticipated, but it hit the creature square in the chest. The menacing figure faltered a step and continued charging. Frantically Kirk fired again. And again. After three additional blasts, the creature finally stumbled and fell to the ground, dead. Kirk fired once more at the still body, taking no chances. Inwardly he cursed himself. He had not thought to count the others as they streaked past. He knew he had seen eight of the creatures with the injured attacker. How many were ahead of him? Were any others waiting for him? Did the creatures behind him head the blasts from his phaser?

Kirk looked down at the body before him, using his foot to push it over so it faced upward. It was even uglier up close. He immediately realized why one shot from the phaser had not done the trick; the creature wore a heavy leather vest on its chest, designed to absorb the shock and deflect the blasts. The only reason Kirk had finally succeeded in killing the creature was because one of the phaser blasts had hit it in the lower neck, just above the vest. Thick, dark green blood poured from the wound and pooled on the forest floor. Kirk turned away, realizing that if he did not flee from the area now, the blood soaking the ground would be his.

He had not taken three steps when the sharp snap of a twig sounded behind him. Kirk barely had time to whirl around before a huge force flung him against a tree. He hastily scrambled to come face to face – or, rather, face to shoulders – with one of the massive creatures. Strong hands wrapped around Kirk's throat, cutting off his air supply. He became vaguely aware of the hardness of a tree behind his back; he was more focused on the inescapable hands clenched around his neck and the fact that his feet were no longer touching the ground. Gasping for air, Kirk desperately clawed at the deadly hands, dropping his phaser to the ground in the process. He felt his face grow hot and red. He felt his throat and lungs burn with the lack of oxygen. He felt the creature's hot breath on his face. _This is it_, he thought to himself. _This is the end_. The attacker roughly jerked him backward into the tree so that his head collided with the hard bark. The jolt snapped the captain out of his deadly resignation.

_Think!_ he commanded himself. _Think! It can't end like this! Not like this!_ Kirk's hands dropped from their futile clawing at the creature's arms and met with the bark of the tree. He felt his way up, searching for a way to escape the death grip. There had to be something…something…there! Kirk's hand closed around what he could only imagine was a vine. He yanked it down without a moment's hesitation; a wasted second would mean his death. Pulling the vine down to his side, he gave one final shudder and fell limp in the assassin's hands. As he expected, the pressure on his throat lessened, as the killer thought him dead. As soon as Kirk's throat was released and he was dropped to the ground, the captain sprung back up and launched himself at the attacker, the vine still tight in his hand.

The creature's eyes widened in shock as Kirk flung himself toward it and deftly maneuvered the thick vine around his neck. Then, praying with all his heart that he had the strength to make this work, he twisted the two ends of the vine together and pulled. Hard. The enemy's eyes bulged as it struggled against the force, but Kirk's grip only tightened on the vine, constricting it further, the strain causing his muscles to scream even more. Kirk heard a sickening snap as the creature's eyes rolled back in his head, its head lolling grotesquely to the side, neck broken.

Kirk instantly dropped his hold on the enemy and tore away from the place. He wasn't sure how much more he could handle. These creatures were stronger than he had realized. And they had blast-proof vests, unlike the others. How would be able to kill one from afar? He could only hope that he would not run into any more of them. An image flickered through his mind as he ran. The crew of the _Stargazer_ lay, beaten and bloodied, around the ship. Kirk felt a sharp pain lance through his chest. That couldn't happen. They needed to leave. He needed to warn them.


	16. Chase

**Chase**

Kirk raced through the forest, the adrenaline coursing through his veins. To be honest, he wasn't sure anymore if he was heading in the right direction. The trees were monotonous, never changing, standing straight and tall and seeming to glare down at him with hate. He could only hope that this was the way back to the ship.

Kirk's thoughts were so focused on the ship and crew that he did not hear the pounding feet behind him. When he finally noticed, it was too late. The attacker rammed him from the side, sending Kirk flying to the ground in a heap. Kirk leapt up, fumbling for his phaser in his holster. As soon as he got it out he aimed, out of habit, directly at the creature's chest and sent a blast its way. Unfortunately for Kirk, this assassin also wore a blast-proof vest. The threatening figure seized the phaser out of Kirk's hand, throwing it to the ground some twenty feet away. The attacker heaved Kirk forward by the collar of his shirt. It smirked in evil amusement as the captain struggled, desperately searching for a way out. Kirk's eyes scanned the ground and came to rest on a large rock about ten feet away, in the opposite direction of his phaser. It was one or the other. He shifted his eyes back to the assassin, who still had him by the neck.

The killer's terrible smile widened and Kirk saw something more out of the corner of his eye. He spun his head around just in time to see the creature's huge spiked tail swing around at his back. Kirk felt the impact a moment before the anguish arrived. Then, a searing pain flashed across his back, more intense than anything he ever remembered feeling. A strange white light flashed before his eyes. The captain roared out in agony and fury. A new blaze in his eyes, he ripped his collar out of the torturer's grasp and sunk into a low crouch, kicking out his legs so that they collided with the creature's.

The attacker fell heavily to the ground, thrashing its arms about. It seemed surprised to have been brought to the ground, but it recovered its senses much quicker than Kirk expected. Obviously it was more experienced a fighter than the other two who had already been killed. The assassin kicked out a leg at the captain, nailing him in the ribs. The deadly spiked tail flung downward at his head. This time, however, Kirk saw it coming and had time to react. He quickly rolled to his left as the tail buried itself in the dirt. With surprising agility, the creature followed the action. The assassin quickly pulled out of the roll and launched toward Kirk, trapping the captain's leg with its heavy arm. Kirk pulled back, stopping mid-roll, and kicked his free leg into the attacker's face. He felt its nose break. The creature grunted in pain, but kept its hold on Kirk's leg and heavily crawled on top of the captain, its weight constricting Kirk's lungs and pressing him into the thick brush.

Gasping for breath, Kirk's eyes flashed upward. There, not four feet from him, was the rock he had seen earlier. He reached toward it, straining his arm, but the rock was still a foot away. With the creature's massive weight on top of him, there was no way he would be able to reach it. Even with the attacker's mass pushing down on him, Kirk's mind buzzed to find a way to get to the rock. The creature might have been stronger, but Kirk was faster. The captain suddenly shifted his own weight so the creature's weight was displaced, and it slid down to his left side. He flipped over the other side of the attacker so that it was now beneath him, face down. Kirk caught sight of the rock again and stretched to reach it. As soon as it was in his hand, he brought it down with all the force he could muster to crack down on the attacker's head. He felt the soft skull give out as the dark green liquid appeared. The assassin fell limp, face down in the ground, dead. Kirk immediately jumped off the creature's back and took off further into the forest. He had already encountered three assassins. How many more would come after him? It was obvious they were not all running together anymore.

Still breathing heavily, the captain slowed to a jog. His back throbbed and his lungs burned. He wasn't sure how extensive the damage was; all he knew was that he couldn't stop. Not yet. Not until he reached the ship. Once he had somewhat caught his breath, Kirk sped up again. He took a turn at a large tree…and ran right into a rock-hard, hulking green body.  
Kirk was propelled backward into the ground. Spitting a mixture of blood and dirt out of his mouth, the captain looked up in time to see the assassin flash a savage smile. Kirk scrambled up as the creature stalked forward. This attacker was the most massive yet. His arms and neck were knotted with muscle, and he stood at least a half foot taller than the others Kirk had seen. The creature fluidly moved toward Kirk, a cold glint in its eyes. As the assassin stalked forward, Kirk grabbed for his phaser in his holster. Kirk's face paled. The holster was empty. He felt his stomach drop. Too late, he remembered that he had left it with the previous attacker's body. He swore, loud and clear, and clenched both hands in front of him, poised in a fighter's stance.

Suddenly, about ten feet before Kirk, the attacker stopped. A flash of confusion ran through Kirk's mind. He narrowed his eyes. What was it doing? His combined surprise and consternation caused his fists to drop ever so slightly, just for a moment. That short moment had been what the creature was looking for. When Kirk had finally realized his mistake, it was too late.

The assassin lunged at Kirk, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye. Its massive weight knocked both of them to the ground. The creature's hand clamped around Kirk's neck, and for the second time that day, the captain's air was cut off. This time, Kirk wasted no energy struggling against the iron grip. Instead, he pulled one arm up to karate chop the attacker's wrist and clenched his other hand into a fist that smashed into the vicious face. The creature recoiled slightly with a grunt, loosening his grip on Kirk's throat. Kirk used the opportunity to jerk his neck away. For a split second he considered running, but instantly realized that this assassin would overtake him before he had gone two steps. Running was out of the question. He would have to fight. Fight for his life.

Kirk flung himself on top of the attacker, seeking the upper hand on the fight. The creature responded by bringing his elbow back to collide with Kirk's jaw, flipping over as it did so. The two adversaries wrestled in the dirt, locked in a lethal struggle of life and death. After one particularly fast roll, the attacker suddenly leapt off the ground, pulling Kirk with it. Kirk was still getting his feet under him when a blow from the creature's hand bashed into the side of his face and sent him right back down to the ground. Before Kirk's brain had a chance to stop reeling, the assassin roughly grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, lifting him effortlessly until his feet no longer touched the ground. The attacker leaned in close.

"Weak," it spat, its voice low and coarse. Kirk could smell its putrid breath and the rotting flesh from its teeth. The creature gave a slow, sickening grin. Still smirking, the attacker pulled back and launched Kirk forward into the air with its powerful arms.  
Kirk felt himself hurtle through the air, catching only glimpses of the trees flashing past him. For a fleeting instant he wondered if he would miss all the trees and land on the dirt. Then he caught side of the huge timber standing resolutely directly in the path of his flight. He frantically clawed at the air, trying to grab onto something to slow down enough before he hit the inevitable tree. His attempts were futile. He closed his eyes, inches away from the collision.

Captain James T. Kirk hit the tree with an audible crack. He groaned with pain as he tried to stand, but his leg collapsed under him, broken. As Kirk lay in the deep underbrush, he took stock of his situation. His leg was obviously broken. His clothes were soaked in humidity, sweat, and blood. He reached around to his back, ignoring the sharp pain in his ribs, and felt a deep gash that ran from his lower back to his left shoulder. Kirk pulled himself upright to sit at the foot of the tree, tuning out the protests of every muscle and bone in his body. He could not evade the truth: there was a very good possibility that he was completely and utterly alone in unfamiliar territory, surrounded by savage adversaries. There was no way out.

A crack nearby alerted him to the approaching figure. Kirk suddenly felt cold, despite the intense heat. He forced himself to raise his head and look into the merciless eyes of the assassin.


	17. Out of Options

**Out of Options**

Kirk glared at the creature with as much hatred as he could muster. The attacker, however, seemed to feed off the response as it stalked closer, a sadistic smirk contorting its features further. The ruthless grin on the creature's face pulled at Kirk's insides until they had been completely twisted into a painful knot. Suddenly Leila's face flashed before him. Kirk felt a deep longing in him even as the image regrettably shimmered away. It was better that she wasn't here for this.

The assassin was now just feet away from the fallen captain. The creature moved very deliberately, seeming to relish every moment that brought Kirk closer to his haunting death. The attacker grasped the large phaser tighter in his hands, slowly lifting it so that it pointed precisely between Kirk's eyes. Kirk fought to keep his eyes open, to stare down death, but he couldn't bear sitting there, helpless and hopeless, to do nothing but wait for death like a caged animal. He clenched his jaw and dug his nails into his hands, gritting his teeth in the hope that it would bring him mental strength.

The phaser before him filled his mind. It grew larger and larger until it was the only thing he could focus on. Kirk suddenly felt light-headed. His vision swam and the scene before him turned upside down, the phaser seeming as thought it had been dropped to the ground. Then Kirk's vision cleared and realization struck. The assassin was now swaying from side to side, an unfocused, dazed look in its eyes. It fell heavily on the ground, the ensuing thud sounding out of place in the quiet of the forest. A steady trickle of dark blood flowed from the back of its skull.

Kirk fell back against the tree and closed his eyes for a short moment, wondering absently when his luck would finally run out. Realizing that another assassin could be around the corner, he reopened his eyes. Once more he saw an image of Leila's face. Her beautiful face, just feet from his, where the attacker had been standing just moments before. He waited, this time, for the mirage to fade away into nothing, leaving him alone in the barbaric forest. But the face didn't fade. Instead, it spoke out in a wavering voice, the word catching in her throat.

"Kirk?"

Leila stood, watching Kirk disbelievingly, her eyes widening at the sight before her. He lay against a tree, broken and bloodied, staring up at her as if she was an angel sent from Heaven. Heart-wrenching pain was evident in his clear blue eyes. The agony shown plainly on Kirk's face sent a rush of adrenaline shooting through Leila's veins, and she flew to his side.

"Leila," he groaned through clenched teeth. "I thought you were with the crew." The other captain knelt at his side and began inspecting his visible wounds.

"I was," she replied quietly. "But then I decided you might get yourself into trouble, despite your unbearable cockiness," she added lightly. Kirk gasped slightly as her hand gently probed his chest. She pulled off his tattered shirt, now drenched with sweat and blood, leaving only his black shirt underneath. This she pulled up, dreading what she would find. The wound fully uncovered, she drew in a sharp intake of breath. "Looks like I was right, too."

"You should've stayed, Leila," Kirk began, obviously trying to keep the brunt of his pain from her.

"If I had stayed, you would be dead." The words came out in a hard rush, and she kept her eyes on the wound. So as to make the words less harsh, she lightly added, "But I didn't, and you're not, so everything is fine." She glanced up, giving him a small smile, but his eyes were regretful.

"Leila, you shouldn't have…" he began. Leila immediately cut him off.  
"What's done is done. The real fun starts now. We have to figure out how to get you back to the ship. You did a nice enough job of hurting yourself…it should be a challenge even for you," she grinned playfully. Kirk chuckled and slightly pushed her arm.

"Ah, well you'll be able to get us out of this mess, won't you, now?" he grinned.  
"Oh, you know I will," Leila replied, laughing. She began to address his wounds. "You're hurt, but nothing but your leg needs immediate attention. That gash on your back looks pretty bad, but Elvira has just the thing for it back on the ship." She sat back and sighed, looking into the trees behind Kirk. "The only real problem here is that I don't know exactly where we are. It wouldn't be such an issue if there weren't others around here who are trying to kill you. We'll just have to keep alert and hope they don't find us."

"I think it's too late for that," Kirk replied tersely. Leila looked back down at him, surprised.

"What?" she asked. Kirk didn't answer. He was looking over her shoulder, teeth clenched and eyes hard. A chilling feeling swept over Leila as she turned to see the object of his attention.  
Six terrifying pairs of eyes stared back at her. Leila focused on one of the huge assassins at the front of the group. A cold chill crept over her as its mouth stretched into a sickening sneer.

Elvira departed from the medbay, worry raging through her mind. Although Kirk and Lela had disappeared only a few hours before, it felt like much longer. So much had happened since the _Stargazer_ had landed. Yesterday the ship had had two captains. Now there were none. Well, there was Acelynn, Elvira corrected herself. But the acting captain was rather beside herself with worry, so she was not doing much besides pacing around the bridge biting her lip. Elvira would have tried to help, but Acelynn was still had at the doctor for restraining her when she tried to run after Leila. So Elvira was left to look after all the injured crew members and leave Acelynn to her own devices.

Not that caring for the casualties was an easy job. In fact, the job was all the more difficult without Bones alongside her. Not only was Elvira short staffed, she was also bombarded with worry for the other doctor. She knew he would make it, but she could not stand him being hurt. Now that most of the commotion had died down and the major injuries had been taken care of, she was able to check on Bones more often. As Elvira felt that he needed a special, quiet environment void from the hysterics, she had set up monitors in his room and kept him there. That was where she was headed now.

Once she had reached his room, the doctor opened the door as quietly as she could so as to keep from waking him. He had not woken since the attack except once when he mumbled something against receiving special treatment. Of course, when he had succumbed to unconsciousness once more Elvira had gone through with her plans anyway. Upon entering the room, however, Elvira found that Bones had regained consciousness and was fixing the woman with a penetrating stare.

"Good, you're up," she greeted. "How are you feeling?"

"What did I say?" Bones demanded, ignoring the question.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what did I say?" Elvira's face remained blank, although she had a very good idea of what he was talking about. "Did I not tell you that I didn't want special treatment? I'm a doctor, not a charity case!"

"Oh, that." Elvira opened her mouth to give a reason for her behavior, but, as she couldn't for the life of her find any logical explanations, she closed it almost immediately.  
"Yes, that," Bones growled. "Why did you ignore my orders?" Elvira suppressed a grin. This she knew how to handle.

"I wasn't aware they were orders, Doctor. And even if they were, I was trained not to humor a delusional patient's wishes." The female doctor walked to his bedside as she spoke to begin investigating the monitors.

"Delusional?" Bones repeated.

"Yes, delusional. That's what we call it when a patient slips in and out of consciousness, all the while muttering strange things."

"I know what it means," Bones snapped. He fell silent and Elvira, her back still toward him, allowed herself a triumphant grin before turning away from the monitors.

"Your vitals look good," she reported. "No complications. Now let's see that wound." The doctor lifted the sheets off the man's body to reveal his bare torso. Her eyes lingered on his muscular chest for a fraction of a second before quickly dropping down to the broad white bandage wrapped around his stomach. She hoped he hadn't caught the hesitation. Within seconds Elvira had removed the bandage to expose the raw skin underneath. She expertly ran her finger along the side of the wound, testing the skin. Pleased that the wound was healing nicely and mumbling some observations to herself, the woman picked up her clipboard and began jotting down some notes. She felt the other doctor's eyes on her but didn't look up.

"So I was…mumbling…things?" Bones asked quietly. Surprised by the question, Elvira looked up. Only then did she realize that she had never won the argument. Instead, the man had forgotten about it and moved on to a seemingly troubling topic.

"Yes. Why?" Elvira questioned. She had stopped writing on his file and was now staring at him with curiosity. His face turned decidedly more pallid as he stumbled over his words.

"Well I was, uh, just curious I guess. What kind of things…well, what I mean to say is…what exactly did I, uh, say?" Bones stammered.

"Well most of it wasn't coherent…" Elvira began, but Bones quickly interrupted her.  
"But the part that was coherent? What was it?" Elvira turned back to the monitors, pretending to investigate them some more. In truth, she did not want to repeat what Bones had said. She didn't want her assumptions to be true. The woman cleared her throat and made sure her hair was shielding her face before answering.

"Look, I don't see how that's relevant to your condition or your recovery, so…"

"Elvira." The woman stopped, her heart thundering in her chest.

"What?" she replied, without turning.

"Elvira, look at me." Bones' voice was now calm and steady, a drastic change from his hesitant stuttering, and the woman was compelled to obey. Very slowly she turned to face the man. "I need to know what I said." His blue eyes shown into hers as he spoke, his voice doing funny things to her heartbeat. She was suddenly thankful that she wasn't the one hooked up to the monitor, for her erratic heartbeat would have undoubtedly been off the charts. The woman considered refusing, but she was well aware that she would not have the strength to refuse this man.

Blinking once and looking down at the clipboard in her hands, Elvira told herself that it was better to get it over with now. She took a shallow breath and scratched a few more notes on the file.

"It was nothing, really," she began. "Like I said, most of it was incoherent. You sounded like you were talking to Kirk a few times. You know, about the _Enterprise_ and such. At one point you informed me that you were a doctor, not a gondolier. The only things we could understand were mostly phrases, but sometimes we heard a sentence or two. Like that time you told me not to give you special treatment." Elvira looked up and grinned, trying to either lighten the mood or change the subject, whichever worked. Unfortunately for her, neither angle was successful. Bones' blue eyes were intense as ever.

"Anything else?" he pressed quietly. Elvira lowered her eyes to the clipboard once more, pretending to record further observations, but really only tracing over her previous words.

"Well, yes, there was one thing. You mentioned a name, talked about her for a while."

"And what was that name?"

"Joanna." Elvira flinched. She had not expected that simply saying the name out loud would cause her so much pain.

"Joanna?" Bones repeated. Elvira nodded, keeping her head down. "You said I talked about her for a while. Was this is sentences or phrases?"

"Sentences."

"And what did I say?" _Don't look at him, don't look at him_…

"You know, I really can't remember." _Don't look at him_…

"Elvira." _Damn_.

"You said that you loved her and you're sorry." The words came out in a rush as Elvira slammed her pen down on the clipboard and grabbed a new bandage. Once more she could feel Bones watching her. "You know, you could have at least told me. I wouldn't have wasted any effort on you if I had known," she stated angrily.

"What?" Bones exclaimed, seemingly surprised.

"Ha, so I guess you didn't even realize it. Fine. That's just fine." Elvira laughed humorlessly, pulling the bandage much tighter than was necessary.

"Ow! Hey what are you…oh. Oh no. Joanna? No, no that's not what it sounds like," the man insisted, his eyes wide.

"Oh it's not? Then tell me what it is," Elvira demanded, tugging harder on the bandage.

"OW! Will you stop doing that?"

"No." Tug.

"Stop it! Listen, Joanna is not, nor has ever been my lover."

"You're such a liar! You said you loved her! I heard it! With my own two ears! You unfaithful scoundrel!" Elvira shouted, her eyes flashing daggers at the man before her.

"She's not!" Bones yelled back. "Joanna's not my lover! She's my daughter!"

Elvira's mouth dropped open as she processed the words.

"She's…she's your…daughter?" the woman stuttered. Suddenly her eyes grew wide with horror at another, related thought. "Oh…oh my goodness…you're married?" she shrieked, backing away from Bones' bed. "How could you? You heartless, pathetic, dishonorable…"

"No, wait…Elvira…"

"…pitiful, malicious…"

"Elvira!"

"…monstrous, unfeeling…"

"ELVIRA!"

"WHAT?"

"I'm not married!"

"Oh you lying bastard!"

"No, I'm serious! I'm not married! I was, once, but Jocelyn and I got a divorce after we had Joanna. Do you hear me? I'm not married! And I'm not seeing anyone! Okay?" Elvira stared at Bones, still breathing heavily, her heart beating out of control.

"You're…not married?"

"No. I'm not."

"Oh." Elvira averted her gaze, looking anywhere but Bones. "So…your wound's healing well. I should go check up on the other patients now…"

"Elvira."

"Um…yes?"

"Would you please look at me?" Biting her lip, the woman slowly turned to face him once more. She didn't know what she had been expecting – anger, maybe – but Bones' blue eyes were crinkled in a slight smile. Elvira actually felt her heart melt inside of her. "Why were you mad that you thought I was with someone?"

"Um…no reason." Elvira replied, sure that the heat coming from her face would burn a hole in the atmosphere.

"Would you like to know why I wanted you to tell me what I said when I was delusional?"

"Sure." Anything to get off of what I think. Slowly she walked back toward his bedside.

"I was worried about what I said. Names and such. Although I never thought of Joanna. You see, I was worried that I might have said your name."

"_My_ name?" Elvira repeated, incredulous. "But why?"

"Elvira, I really enjoy spending time with you."

"O-kay…? And that's why you were worried?"

"Not exactly. You see, I've liked you ever since I met you, that first day when Pike introduced us. But…during this mission…this feeling has turned into…something more."

"What are you saying?" Elvira demanded, looking down at him. Bones laughed nervously, an unusual sound for the doctor.

"I'm saying that my feelings for you have grown!" he exclaimed, carefully lifting himself out of the bed and closing the distance between him and Elvira. "I'm saying…" he continued softly, breathing each word, "that I love you."

Elvira stood stock still, not trusting herself to speak. Because this couldn't be true, it just couldn't. It was too perfect.

"Elvira?" Bones murmured, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"I don't…believe you." What? Had she really just said that? Bones gave a throaty chuckle and leaned closer to whisper in her ear, sending chills up her spine.

"Then let me convince you."

And suddenly his lips were on hers, sweet and soft at first, then more passionate, more intense. His hand trailed down her spine and she inhaled sharply, wrapping her arms tighter around his neck and clutching him closer. Then Bones pulled away, leaving their faces less than an inch apart.

"Do you believe me now?" he smirked, trailing a finger down her spine once more and relishing the resulting shiver.

"I don't know," Elvira replied, breathless. "I think you'll need to argue your case again." Bones grinned wickedly.

"My pleasure."


	18. Proposition

**Proposition**

Leila grunted as she was roughly thrown to the ground. Her hands, having been bound behind her back, were helpless to stop her fall, and she fell face first, inhaling a mouthful of dirt. She heard Kirk curse behind her as he received the same treatment from their detainers. The group of brutal creatures who had found the two captains had wasted no time in binding the captives and beginning the march. Neither Leila nor Kirk had spoken so much as a word to their captors throughout their short imprisonment, only communicating by sharing looks every now and then between themselves. There was nothing to say. Leila had thought of only two things during the long trek to what she assumed was the creatures' base: the crew she left behind and the man beside her. She tried to keep her mind numb, concentrating only on the situation and not the emotional impact it would have on everyone involved. In this, she had succeeded so well that she had not noticed the slavers' village until they were already upon it.

The first word that came to Leila's mind was "crude." Small wooden dwellings spotted the terrain in no particular design. The wooden planks making up the roof and walls stabbed out at odd angles, as if carelessly thrown together. Thick tree branches were woven into the rooftops, the leaves sticking out from the wood. The doors ranged anywhere from a solid piece of wood to a woven blanket of straw and branches. Some lodgings had no door at all, but a vacant space, form which other, similar creatures glared at the prisoners. This was all Leila could discern, however, before being thrown to the ground by one of her captors.

The woman struggled to her knees, spitting out the dirt that now coated the inside of her mouth. She glanced at Kirk to check how he was doing; she was worried that his wounds would become even more unbearable as they were dragged and kicked through the alien forest. To his credit, however, he had not uttered a single protest. The captains' eyes locked, and everything they were unable to say passed between them in a look. The connection was broken, however, as one of the brutes barked a loud string of guttural sounds. Heart beating wildly, Leila faced forward to await the next chapter in their capture.

A dwelling stood before the kneeling prisoners, larger than the others. Two of the hulking, brutal creatures stood at either side of the large grass-covered hole in the structure. These two snapped to attention at the alien sound, just as the grass veil began trembling. An unseen force pushed the grass aside, and suddenly a creature appeared. It was covered in the shadows of the hut, but Leila could tell that it was the same species as her imprisoners, although at least a foot taller and much larger. A jagged shape on its head told the captain that this was the leader of the village to which they had been so roughly dragged. With one heavy footstep into the sunlight, the creature fully revealed itself.

Leila's initial reaction was to recoil in disgust. She felt her eyes go wide as she took in the sight. The chief's large black eyes glimmered with a malice that sent shivers down Leila's spine. A battered black cape sat upon the creature's broad shoulders, swaying slightly as he walked with heavy steps toward the jagged stone seat located just in front of the prisoners. Odd patterns tattooed his thick arms, and a crown of shattered glass fitted atop his two black horns. As he drew closer, Leila noticed a ragged scar that ran through the chief's left eye. He stood at least a foot taller than the tallest creature in the camp, his height only surpassed when he finally dropped into the rock throne. Upon seeing the prisoners up close, a gut wrenching sneer tore across his face, revealing yellow teeth coated in old blood.

"What have we here?" the chief mused, his eyes glinting and barbed tail swishing back and forth. His voice, low and guttural, was deadly in its quietness.

"Intruders," one of the captors spat. Where the rest of the creatures' eyes were filled with loathing for the two captains, the chief's held nothing but cruel amusement. It chilled Leila to the core.

"Intruders," the chief repeated, mulling over the word. "And do these intruders have anything to say for themselves?" His soulless black eyes caught Leila's and she felt that she could not look away, nor could she form a coherent answer to the question.

"I am Captain James T. Kirk of the United Federation of Planets, and this is Captain Leila Sheridan of the Ivy Alliance," Kirk broke in, successfully sounding like a diplomat although still in intense pain. The chief's eyes, still trained on Leila, did not move. "We have been sent here on a joint mission to explore your planet, seek out your people, and offer you a place among the Federation." Now the chief slowly slid his attention to Kirk.

"And if, my good captain, we refuse your offer?" the creature asked, his gravelly voice somehow taking on a silky quality.

"Then we have orders to leave in peace," Kirk replied, his voice full of authority, although Leila knew they had received no such orders. In fact, she recalled, Pike had seemed almost certain that these creatures would accept the offer. The chief barked a short laugh at Kirk's response before turning his attention back to Leila, who froze under his ugly smirk.

"And you, dear captain? You have not spoken yet," the creature observed.

"I believe Captain Kirk has said it all," Leila responded, trying her hardest to keep her voice from trembling. The chief nodded, a playful leer on his face. Leila felt sick at the thought of what games he might be playing.

"Oh, I don't think he's said it all," he returned.

"No?" Leila attempted a tone of polite disinterest.

"Oh, no. You see, Captain Kirk is rather short-sighted. He sees his purpose here, no more, no less. But he doesn't see the lingering effects of this…mission, as you call it. If I should refuse this offer of his, then you two find yourselves in a very unfortunate state. A state in which, quite frankly, I decide your fates. And if I refuse your offer, you will not be given a choice to refuse my demands." Leila's eyes widened at the chief's implications. Kirk's narrowed. The chief continued. "You see, my dear captain, I like you more than I like your colleague."

The chief turned to one of their captors and made a small motion toward Leila. The other creature nodded once and roughly dragged the woman to the chief's feet. Kirk clenched his jaw.

"But I'm getting ahead of myself, my dear," the chief exclaimed, standing up so he towered over Leila. He suddenly bent down and scooped the woman up, only to sit back on his throne and set her on his knee, a twisted paternal image. "You don't even know my name. I, my dear, am Chief Rakknor, leader of my fellow Tremons. It's so very nice to meet you."

Leila stared up at him, trying to keep the horror from her face. Silence reigned, but no words came to her mind. Acknowledging her lack of speech, Chief Rakknor spoke again.

"You might start with rephrasing your offer," he suggested, his eyes glittering with pleasure in having such power over the captive.

"Sir -," Leila began shakily.

"You will address the chief as 'my liege,'" one of the chief's guards snapped. Leila flinched as if she had been struck.

"My liege," she started again. She hated those words, the surrender of all freedom, coming from her mouth. "My fellow captain and I would like to know –"

"No good," the chief ruled. "Start again." Leila swallowed hard and resumed her attempt.

"My liege, please accept our offer of –"

"Again," he ordered.

"If you would be so kind as to accept –"

"AGAIN!" the chief roared.

"_I don't know what you want me to say!_" Leila finally shrieked. A moment after the words left her mouth she realized what she had said. Her face coloring, she bit her lip. "Please, Chief Rakknor, tell me how you would like me to phrase the offer."

"You want me to tell you what to say?" the chief asked, mockingly taken aback.

"Yes, my liege."

"Well then," the chief smirked. He shifted the woman toward him and whispered a few words in her ear. She felt his hot breath on her ear, and she reddened as she took in his words. Presently he leaned back, a contemptuously expectant look on his face. The movement left Leila much closer to him than she had previously been and, afraid to move as to anger him, she merely angled her head away from his. Leila stole a glance at Kirk, who almost imperceptibly shook his head, anger and worry in his eyes. She turned back to the chief.

"My liege," she began quietly, pushing down her revulsion as she repeated his words. "I am begging you to accept my plea to join the Federation." There she paused. The chief raised his eyebrows in anticipation of the rest. Swallowing, Leila continued. "I will personally…reward you for your decision." The woman reddened further as alien jeers echoed throughout the camp. A smirk spread across the chief's ugly face.

"I hear your plea, my dear," he replied, his voice causing all other noise to cease. "And I am very sorry to tell you that I must refuse your generous offer." A few more snickers stole across the camp as Leila glared at the chief. "However," the chief went on, "I _will_ claim my reward."

At this, the whole camp was overcome with the Tremons' howling laughter. In one swift motion, Chief Rakknor pulled Leila off his knee and smashed his mouth to hers. His long tongue slithered into her mouth as his large hand moved up the front of her shirt. Flailing, Leila pulled her face away from his, only to have his rough tongue move to her neck. A wordless cry broke the air, and the woman turned her head away just in time to see Kirk lunge at them, injured leg and all.

The chief lost his hold on Leila as Kirk pulled her out of his grasp and knocked her to the ground.

"Are you okay?" he demanded, his eyes simmering with rage. Leila nodded, tears spilling down her face. Suddenly the chief roared and Kirk was wrenched off of Leila. She scrambled up to see four Tremons surrounding the man, all armed with nasty barbed clubs. Chief Rakknor stood, the full dangerousness of the creature evident in his poise and malicious black eyes.

"Kill him," the chief thundered. At the order, the four Tremons raised their clubs.

"Stop!" Leila screamed, running toward the chief. She hurtled herself at the chief's chest, as if that would nullify the order. Surprisingly, it did.

Leila looked up to find the chief staring down at her, his arm still raised to finish the death sentence.

"What power could you _possibly_ have to stop your little friend from dying today?" the chief laughed mirthlessly, condescendingly. "You can't even offer your own life in return, because I already have power over that as well. And trust me, I will be taking advantage over that particular power long after your friend is dead. So tell me, my pretty little human, what can you possibly offer in exchange for his life?"

Leila thought for just a second – just long enough to realize that she already knew the answer, already knew what her proposal would be.

"I offer myself," she said quietly.

"Did you not hear?" the chief growled. "I already own you!"

"You own my body, not my will," Leila quickly explained. "If you kill this man, I will fight the whole way. Every order, every act. I'll fight until I die. And then where would you be?" She paused for the words to sink in. "However," she went on, "if you do not harm this man, I vow to you that I will _not_ fight. I vow to willingly to carry out all that you tell me. The only condition is that Captain Kirk _must_ live and that I _must_ see him once every day to ensure that you have held out your end. So? What's it to be? A lifetime of resistance? Or…full cooperation?" She waited breathlessly, staring only at the chief. She could not look at Kirk because she couldn't bear seeing the pain in his eyes at her offer. She knew this was right. She wouldn't have Kirk die when she could have stopped it. Even if it meant the end of her free life.

The chief didn't consider for very long. Leila knew that he could see her fighting spirit, and she knew it was obvious that she would hold up her side of the bargain. She also knew that he could not resist an offer like this. Finally he spoke.

"What a twist," he mused. "This has never happened to me before. It seems, my pretty little human, that we have ourselves a deal." He held out his thick, many-fingered hand and Leila shook. The chief tightened his grasp on her hand for just a moment longer than necessary, holding her eyes. The simple act ensured that if she hadn't known before, she now knew that he had complete control over her. Releasing her hand, the chief barked a long string of unfamiliar words to the other captors, who promptly disappeared from view only to return with a large wooden cage. Leila watched as they wrestled Kirk into the makeshift prison.

"And he won't be killed?" she maintained.

"He will not be killed," the chief confirmed. "Now, if you would wait for me in my cabin…"

Leila took one last look at Kirk, then turned and made her way through the grass veil, sealing her heart and mind away.


	19. Captive

**Captive**

"You have everything you need, right?" Elvira checked. "Phaser? Pack?"

"Yes, yes, I have everything. Now let's go. We've already wasted too much time," Acelynn rushed, slinging her black phaser into the Alliance belt at her waist. Both women were dressed in full recon garb, although this time they had no illusions that the mission would prove harmless. This was no recon mission – it was a rescue attempt.

It had been a full two weeks since Leila and Kirk had disappeared into the dense forest of Tremonillian. That first night had been brutal for both Elvira and Acelynn. Amid the confusion and disorganization of the crew in the wake of the attack, both women had duties to perform. Acelynn, having been promoted to acting captain in Leila's absence, was forced to take charge of the ship and the united crews. If there had been any discontent between the crews before, all division had washed away by the mutual anger, loyalty, and outrage that both crews felt at the attack of the ship and assumed capture of the captains.

Acelynn and Elvira had wanted to set out after the captains the very next day, but both women realized the senselessness of doing so. Half the crew was either injured or killed in the attack, and the women were needed on the ship. With Bones injured, Elvira was now the sole senior medical officer onboard, and she certainly had her hands full. Furthermore, it would not do to set off after the missing captains without sufficient backup…and at the moment the crew barely had enough manpower to protect the ship itself, let alone carry out a rescue mission. No, the rescue was forced to wait until the _Stargazer_ was reasonably under control. As it were, it had taken two weeks to achieve this – a fact that neither of the women were happy about.

Still, however long it had taken, the day had finally arrived when Elvira and Acelynn were able to go after the missing captains. The women made their way from Acelynn's quarters to the bridge, where, surprisingly, Bones was waiting. Elvira took one look at him outfitted with his own recon apparel and narrowed her eye brows.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

"Going with you, what else?" Bones stated, as if she should have already figured it out.

"You're still injured. You're not anywhere near able to go on a recon mission, let alone a rescue attempt!" Elvira's tone grew more dangerous with every passing word. "You're staying here. On the ship."

"Am I? I don't think so." Bones retorted. "That's Jim out there. Injured or otherwise, there's no way I'm stayin' here while my friend is out there."

"Oh yes you – ," Elvira began.

"If you force me to stay behind I'll just follow you once you leave. And you know I'll do it," Bones interrupted flatly. The two doctors stared each other down for a rather long second until Elvira threw up her arms in frustration.

"Fine! Do what you want!" she exclaimed, stalking out of the room. Bones threw Acelynn a grim smile and followed the doctor out the door, toward the emanation platform. Acelynn allowed herself a small sigh and last look about the bridge before she issued any orders.

"Chekov, take the conn," Acelynn nodded toward the young man.

"Aye…" Chekov replied faintly. Acelynn noticed his wide eyes teeming with emotion, but before he could say anything she turned away and disappeared through the doors.

She had not gotten to the next hall before she heard the echo of frantic footsteps behind her.

"Acelynn!" Chekov called desperately, his voice reverberating down the hallway. "Acelynn!" The woman in question paused and turned toward the sound of his voice as it grew closer. Chekov rounded the corner and skidded to a stop, breathless, before the girl."Acelynn! Wait…" He rang his hands in front of him, unsure of what to say.

"Chekov, please," Acelynn replied firmly, trying to keep an indifferent face. She crossed her arms before her in order to stop them from reaching out to the young Russian. "I _must_ go. My captain needs me." Acelynn gave Chekov a stern glance before turning away. Before she had taken a step, she felt Chekov's fingers close around her wrist, pulling her back.

"Wait," he breathed again when they faced each other once more. Acelynn's mind spun with the closeness of their proximities. All she wanted was to have him hold her, safe and sound and nowhere near the danger of this damned planet. What she wanted was not possible, though. Not until she found Leila.

"I cannot stay, Chekov. I have to find Leila…and Kirk, too. Both of our captains are in danger, and there's no time to waste. Don't you see? I need to do this. I need to find her," Acelynn explained softly.

"But…what if you do not return?" Chekov shook his head slightly, the disbelief and possible reality of such a situation clashing in his mind. "I…do not want to lose you." Acelynn sighed at his hesitance and closed the gap between them, her lips touching his. The kiss was soft but brief, and Acelynn pulled away with tears in her eyes.

"As long as you are here I will return," she whispered. Then, before anything could change her mind, she spun and strode toward the emanation platform, leaving Chekov behind.

Acelynn managed to dry her tears before entering the emanation platform. Still, her slightly red eyes gave her away to Elvira, who glanced at her before reaching out to grab her hand.

"Ready, Ace?" she asked quietly, the question for her friend alone. Acelynn nodded, her eyes steeling over in anticipation for the task ahead.

"Yes."

Kirk stiffened as he grass veil on Rakknor's hut stirred. The captain glanced through the dismal, raining sky toward the sun, confirming that it was nearly time for Leila's daily visit. Of course they were only able to exchange a few words – none of them meaningful – and were not allowed any physical contact. Kirk was never sure whether he looked forward to these brief meetings of dreaded them. Although this was the one time he could make sure Leila was still alive, she seemed to be rapidly deteriorating in the days of slavery. Every time he saw Leila she seemed to grow more and more lifeless. Her eyes, so dull these past few days, barely even responded when he spoke to her. She gave one word answers, the energy that was so prevalent when they met visibly drifting away. Kirk was beginning to doubt how much longer she would survive out here. He had already spent many hours wondering if she would ever return to her previous self if – when – they were rescued.

The grass veil shifted again and, sure enough, Chief Rakknor appeared. This was one of the only times during the day in which he emerged from his hut, usually having his meals brought straight inside the dwelling. Kirk gritted his teeth at the idea of why he stayed inside so much. Leila came next, dressed in her usual tattered green garment that reached halfway down her thighs, the rope cinching her waist showing how much weight she had lost in the days of captivity. The one cut-off sleeve that remained uncovered her bare arm, exposing angry red welts that ripped across her skin. Kirk struggled to compose himself as she came closer. It would not do her any good to see him angry in her state. She had enough to deal with.

"Hi," he said, his hands hanging, useless, by his sides. Their daily conversation had become scripted, and this was how the short talk always began. Leila reached the invisible boundary surrounding his cage, the boundary that only Rakknor and food deliverers were allowed to pass. Apparently Rakknor enjoyed the woman too much to take the chance that one of his pitiless minions would somehow show mercy toward Kirk and release him, thereby taking Leila away from him as well.

"Hi," Leila replied, her voice so faint that Kirk could scarcely hear her through the pattering of rainfall.

"How are you?" The words came out without thinking. Kirk hadn't voiced that question since the first few days of the capture, since there was really no use for it. Leila lifted her head to look at him, too far gone to show any surprise at the question.

"You're alive," she murmured, her voice somehow conveying disbelief as it always did when she spoke this line. Kirk understood her disbelief. He wondered when Rakknor would get bored with the both of them.

"Hang in there, Leila. Okay? They'll be here soon." After so much time, the reminder of the crew sounded like a falsehood, but Kirk always spoke the line with deep sincerity. Hope. That's all she needed. Hope. Leila dipped her head in acknowledgement, but, as always, said nothing in return. Rakknor growled slightly, indicating that the meeting was over. Leila turned at once, so attuned to the chief's signals.

"Leila, wait!" Kirk called out, gripping the bars of his crude prison. Leila turned back toward him, a slight surprise evident on her face. This was not part of the script. Rakknor's growl grew louder as Leila disobeyed the unspoken rule, but Leila seemed not to hear him. "I love you," Kirk whispered softly, knowing the words would carry to her. Although they both felt the same way, it was the first time one of them had spoken the words aloud. "I love you so much. Don't forget that."

Kirk knew that this would get him beaten…and badly, too. After all, Rakknor's promise stated that Kirk would be alive, not necessarily unharmed. In the time that he had been imprisoned, Kirk had been beaten to the point of blackout every other day. This last comment would earn the captain a particularly harsh punishment, but Kirk didn't care. It was worth the price to see Leila's eyes regain some life, some fire, even if it was just a tiny spark. As Leila turned and walked toward the chief's hut, Rakknor very deliberately stared at Kirk and put one of his huge hands on the back of her neck, then roughly pulled her toward him for a grotesque kiss. The message was clear. Kirk's eyes burned with a hate so pure it threatened to consume him.

As the two disappeared into the chief's hut, Kirk felt one emotion: rage. Rage at himself for being the reason Leila was in this position. Rage at his uselessness in this damned cage. Rage at this whole cursed planet. His wrath entangled in all of these things was surpassed entirely by the fury he felt for Chief Rakknor. Kirk promised himself once again, as he did every day, that Rakknor would die, killed at Kirk's unforgiving hands, and the last thing that hideous beast would see was Kirk's vengeful face smiling above him.


	20. The Dancers of Tremonillian

**The Dancers of Tremonillian**

Kirk grunted as he was kicked awake. Squinting in the morning light, he shook the remnants of dreamless sleep from his mind and sat up from his position on the floor of the cage. Every part of his body screamed in pain as he moved – that stunt with Leila a week ago had earned him the worst beating yet – but he refused to show any hint of pain. The captain raised his eyebrows at two gigantic Tremons standing over him. He recognized them by now; they were the only ones allowed to enter the cage besides Rakknor himself, although Rakknor rarely made an appearance. The larger of the two was called Gardok, the other Tkarrag.

"What?" he asked, adopting an almost careless expression and knowing that his insolence would not earn him any favors from the creatures. At this point he could not care less. His visits with Leila had become even shorter – a fact that he previously had not thought was possible – thanks to the words he whispered so many days ago, and his impertinence toward his captors was dramatically increasing. What could they do? Beat him some more?

"Stand when you speak to us," Gardok spat, kicking Kirk again. The captain folded his arms and cocked his head to one side, refusing to oblige. Rakknor had had Kirk beaten yesterday, so even though tomorrow might have a worse punishment, the captain knew that Gardok and Tkarrag were forbidden to touch him other than a few kicks or hits here and there. Besides that, Kirk did not think he had the strength to rise to his feet at this moment, and he would rather be seen as insolent than weak and beaten in front of his captors. The two Tremons exchanged a seething glance.

"You'll pay for that," Tkarrag growled.

"Maybe I will. What do you want?" Kirk repeated, his voice growing more bored by the second.

"Chief Rakknor wanted us to tell you. Your meeting with his girl is cancelled today," Gardok spoke. Kirk barely had time to dissolve his anger at the use of "_his_" girl when the words sunk in.

"What?" he demanded, his voice steeling. "But that's not part of the deal. Rakknor can't break the deal. The _deal_ is that – ."

"Yes, yes, the chief knows the deal," Tkarrag interrupted, looking at Kirk with something like glee. "Instead of the meeting, you will attend a…performance tonight. Both you and Chief Rakknor's girl will be present. The deal is not broken. You will see each other there."

"A _performance_," Kirk repeated furiously.

"You will be collected tonight," Gardok informed, obviously enjoying the captain's anger. With that, the two captors turned and exited the cage, leaving Kirk alone to ponder what sort of performance Rakknor could possibly have in store for him.

Sunset had just fallen on the Tremon camp when Kirk spotted Tkarrag and Gardok making their way toward his cage. The two Tremons thrust the cage door open and stalked inside. Gardok smiled at Kirk, an extremely rare and disconcerting gesture, and raised a wooden club. Knowing what was about to happen, Kirk rolled his eyes and waited for the blow. He felt the club come down on his head and then…blackness.

Kirk awoke sitting on a small metal chair, surrounded by squatting Tremons. His wrists and ankles were bound with a heavy length of chain to the chair and, although he could shift, the man knew he had no chance at an escape attempt. He glanced around him. A rough wooden stage lay before him, and a quick scan of the audience revealed that Leila was nowhere to be found.

"Ahh, our daring captive is awake!" a gravelly voice roared to the crowd. Amid the low chuckles of the sitting Tremons, Kirk looked directly to his right to see Rakknor sitting on a rock throne identical to the one in the center of the village.

"What's this about, Rakknor?" Kirk growled through his teeth. He had a splitting headache thanks to that damned club, and he struggled to keep his mind sharp.

"Why don't you look and see?" the chief laughed mirthlessly, overlooking the lack of title in Kirk's question. "Release the dancers of Tremonillian!" Rakknor roared to a Tremon standing by a sole hut next to the stage. The hordes of creatures surrounding the stage bellowed in response to the order, the entire company going up in jeers and yells as two figures were led out of the hut toward the stage. From his position Kirk could see that the figures were women, and the women were chained by the necks and dressed in…jems. Crystals served as clothes – or coverings, at least, for much bare body was exposed – and caught the red evening sun, making it nearly impossible to see the women's faces.

The woman in front was easier to see, if only because of her position. Shoulder-length blond hair was intricately braided and tied so it fell over one shoulder. The way the woman's blue eyes and crystal costume reflected gave her a foreign, ethereal look. Her costume did not provide much covering, revealing her entire midsection and a good deal of her long legs. An angled crystal skirt sat low on her hips, accentuating every movement that the woman made. Strings of crystal spilled from her shoulders, attached to her sparkling bustier, and a simple glistening choker sat at her neck. When this woman reached her destination, she stepped on the stage and stood in facing Rakknor, her face blank. The Tremon leading the women took this opportunity to unchain them. This left Kirk able to examine the other figure. He directed his attention to the other woman…and gasped.

It was Leila.

She was not the same as he had seen her yesterday, however. The dirty, ragged garment she wore every day was now replaced by hundreds of glittering crystals. Her body, rubbed clean yet still showing some red marks and bruises from Rakknor's harsh treatment, was ornamented with the same skirt as her counterpart and a different sort of bustier. The crystals, transformed into a strapless covering, stopped short above her ribs, while showers of loose crystals flowed down the upper half of her torso. A shining ornament adorned the woman's belly button and a long crystal necklace bejeweled her throat. Shining pins trapped a few loose curls, but the rest of her hair was left to cascade down her back. Kirk was amazed to see that the transformation made her seem wild, almost…unearthly.

When both Leila and the other woman were in their designated positions, they bowed in the chief's direction. The motion was synchronized, and both women rose at the same exact time.

"Chief Rakknor," the mystery woman called. "We are requesting permission to perform for you."

"What is the meaning of this?" Kirk demanded of Rakknor, his mind instantly focused.

"Oh, my dear little captain. How naive you are," Rakknor laughed. "My pretty little human is the newest addition to our Tremonillian dancers. This is her debut."

"Debut," Kirk mouthed, horrified. He turned back to Leila and the other woman. "What do you make them do?"

"They dance!" Rakknor announced, to the jeers of the surrounding audience. At these words, an eerie, unnatural drum beat began. Leila and the other woman instantly began moving in a way that Kirk had never seen.

Their low-slung skirts emphasized the movement of their hips, rotating back and forth, their stomach muscles twisting with the odd actions. The women's hands rolled and flicked the air with the beat, their arms and shoulders whirling in unison. Their bare feet led them in a slow revolution, their movements growing faster and faster as the beat of the drums increased in volume. The sight was mesmerizing. Kirk turned his head from the two revolving bodies onstage.

"Who's the other one?" he asked Rakknor. He had not known of this other woman's presence in the village till this moment.

"Ahh, you mean Elisia. She claimed she was an ambassador of some sort, but we could not find her ship, so we decided she was a spy." Rakknor smirked, and Kirk knew instantly that this woman called Elisia was no spy. "This was…oh, two months ago. She arrived a month before you and your lovely…gift." Kirk bit back a sharp remark. It would not do him any good to cause trouble here. "She is the one who taught my girl the basics of this dance, you see."

"Taught?" It seemed that Kirk possessed only broken thoughts.

"Oh yes. Every day. They started last week." Rakknor laughed, looking down at Kirk. "Don't worry, I make sure she is not…worn out by practice before she is returned to me. That is my job, you see." His tail twitched almost hungrily, making the captain feel sick.

Kirk ground his teeth and turned back to the dancers. The women on stage seemed to isolate different parts of their bodies for various diverse combinations. At the moment, Leila's arms were high overhead while she gyrated her hips, and Elisia's torso moved as the lower half of her body stayed perfectly still. Kirk found their faces unsettling, however. No matter how much or how fast they moved, both women's expressions were disconcertingly blank.

The drum beat finished with a whirl, the dancers spinning faster and faster, the dangerous glittering crystals creating strange auras around them. The performance was over, and Rakknor had once again made his message clear. He was in control. The dancers once again bowed to the chief, who beckoned them toward him. Leila and Elisia made their way through the hooting crowd, finally stopping before Rakknor.

"Unchain his arms," Rakknor ordered one of the Tremons to his side, gesturing toward Kirk. "Tonight we feast." Six Tremons brought a huge table complete with grapes, a strange meat, and odd-looking vegetables directly to the chief. Leila and Elisia stood on either side of Rakknor, apparently accustomed to this handling. Two Tremons lifted Kirk's chair right off the floor and brought it to the other side of the table so that he faced Rakknor. More of the creatures poured a sort of thick wine into the dark glass chalices that sat before the attendees. Rakknor raised his glass in a toast.

"To Earth," he leered, keeping his eyes directly on Kirk as he spoke. "And to its amusing women." Rakknor pulled Leila onto his lap as he spoke this second toast. Kirk, keeping his eyes impassive, raised his glass and drank. Elisia took the toast to mean that the meal should begin. She reached for a string of grapes and slowly started to feed the chief.

"This is simply wonderful. You should have a slave as well!" Rakknor exclaimed to Kirk.

"I'm fine," Kirk returned, repulsed at the idea.

"No, I think you need one. My pretty little human, go serve the captain," Rakknor ordered Leila. Before she could rise, Rakknor turned her head and kissed her cheek. Kirk clenched his fists in his lap. Leila swallowed, rose from the chief's lap, and made her way over to Kirk. After so many weeks of being apart, Kirk was almost overwhelmed at their closeness. Very slowly, Leila picked up a string of grapes and held one out to him. Although revolted at the order from which this action was derived, Kirk knew that refusing would cause much more trouble for Leila. Still, he could not let her _feed_ him. Instead, he picked the grape out of Leila's hand and ate it. Rakknor laughed, apparently at the obstinacy of lowly human behavior.

The company ate in silence for a while, Kirk's eyes drifting to Leila's face time and time again.

"Where did you get all those crystals?" Kirk finally asked of Rakknor, deciding that it might keep the chief's mind off any interactions between himself and Leila.

"Ah! I see you noticed our costumes!" Rakknor seemed oddly pleased about this observation. He reached out to grasp a crystal string that hung from Elisia's shoulder. "I'll let you in on a little secret. Those crystals are positively explosive." Kirk looked hard at the chief.

"You mean…"

"I mean that each of those tiny crystals my two lovely dancers are wearing has the power to obliterate a small planet." Rakknor studied Kirk as the captain digested this information. Taken aback, all Kirk could do was look disbelievingly at the chief.

"What?"

"You heard correctly. With just the right conditions, each of these slaves has the ability to be completely vaporized. Now wouldn't _that_ be a fun performance?" the chief chuckled darkly.

"That's what happened to make the crater," Kirk recognized, realization dawning. "That's what brought us here."

"A mistake that was most severely punished, yes," Rakknor replied distastefully. "You see, no one was supposed to know about these crystals until it was too late."

"Too late?" Kirk repeated.

"Oh yes. We are the dominant species, little human. Tremons have the strength and determination that other species lack. Why should they be able to survive? They are lesser beings, not even capable of escaping a small prison." Rakknor looked down condescendingly at Kirk. "Little human, you have no chance. I could have killed you weeks ago. The only reason you are still breathing is because your friend here amuses me…in every way possible. These crystals will destroy you, destroy Earth, and you will have no power to stop me from doing it. First Earth, then others. You'll see." Rakknor laughed again. "Although the females do serve as pleasurable…entertainment."

Kirk and Leila exchanged a long glance, and Kirk saw that at least some emotion – if only alarm – was back in the woman's eyes. Rakknor's twisted laughter echoed in the silence, sending chills down Kirk's back. fear

"So…a toast, shall we?" Rakknor sneered, grasping his chalice. "To Earth…"


	21. Rescue

**Rescue**

Acelynn grimaced. She had known not to expect an ideal situation, but hiding in the bushes a stone's throw from a village filled with dozens of antagonistic aliens had most definitely not crossed her mind. Yet here she was.

The rescue team had taken almost a week to locate the village and had been within range of the village for a day and a half, studying every habit the natives exhibited. In Acelynn's opinion, it had taken far too long to find the village, but she understood the reasons for the slow progress. After the captains' disappearance and the blatant hostility of the natives, the last thing Acelynn wanted was for the team to become separated. The acting captain did everything she could to ensure that the rescue search was not a blind one; she had no interest in any of the team getting lost or encountering enemies. As far as she knew, the Tremons had not yet been alerted to their presence. So far, the team had been lucky. This only made Acelynn more anxious – their luck was bound to run out soon.

A soft rustle in the bushes next to her claimed her attention. She looked to her right to notice a pair of hazel eyes peering out at her.

"Ace, the guard is finally out," Elvira's voice breathed. Acelynn allowed herself a small breath of relief. Elvira and Bones had concocted a sleeping draught the night before, and when dusk fell one of the crew members had discretely slipped it into the food of the guard posted at Kirk's cage. The guard should have been out hours ago – the draught was made with enough drugs to knock out three grown men – but he had not even shown the signs of drowsiness until a half hour ago. Acelynn was beginning to wonder if it would work at all. Even now that the effects of the draught had taken over, Ace was still very cautious. If the guard had staved off the drugs for so long, Acelynn had a strong feeling the induced sleep would not last for long.

It was time to act.

Kirk's eyes flickered open. He had heard…something. Whatever had awoken him, though, was either imagined or invisible because, as he strained his senses, nothing appeared out of what had become the ordinary. Kirk settled back down and was just about to close his eyes when, out of habit, he glanced at the guard. Kirk started, instantly awake. The guard's eyes were closed, his mouth hanging open and his arms lax by his sides. He was…sleeping? That simply could not be right. The guard rotation was specially designed so that the guard would _not_ fall asleep on watch. Maybe he was faking? But that made even less sense; the guard had no reason to pretend, and if someone were to find him, he would undoubtedly be executed. It definitely could not be a practical joke – as far as Kirk was concerned, Tremons possessed no sense of humor. So what was it?

Instinctively, the captain glanced around himself. Expecting to find nothing, he was startled to catch a glimpse of a black combat boot and a flash of green. Suddenly he found himself staring into the very human eyes of Acelynn.

"Acelynn!" he hissed. "What are you doing here?" Acelynn bent down to the unconscious guard, searching for a key.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" she whispered back. Not finding a key, she straightened and very intently contemplated the lock on the cage.

"If you're trying to will that lock open, it won't work. I've already tried that," Kirk muttered. "The chief has the only key." Acelynn looked at him thoughtfully before reaching up to her hair and extracting a bobby pin. With a look of intense concentration, she slipped the pin in the lock and began fiddling with it.

"I haven't seen that done in years," Kirk said aloud. Acelynn bestowed him with a sarcastic look.

"Yeah, well blowing this thing with a phaser probably isn't the brightest idea right now." She turned her attention back to the lock.

"How long have you been here?" Kirk asked, desperate for answers. She was the first human besides Leila and Elisia that he had seen in over a month. "I didn't see you at all. The Tremons have no idea you're here."

"People see what they expect to see," Acelynn murmured. "Now shut up and let me work." Kirk obediently clamped his mouth shut. As Acelynn continued working on the lock, Kirk surveyed the village with new eyes. What had previously been an empty, sleeping village was now riddled with crew members of the _Stargazer_. Two figures crouching behind a bush rose and silently approached his cage. Kirk had just recognized them as Bones and Elvira when he heard a sharp click.

Kirk turned back to Acelynn, who was grinning triumphantly.

"Come on out, Captain," she whispered. "You're free." Acelynn gave a slight push and the door of the cage swung open. Kirk, having had stared at the open door for a full minute before realizing that this was not a dream, catapulted himself out of the cage, anxious to taste freedom. Once free of his crude confines, the captain headed straight toward Bones. The two friends embraced tightly. Kirk was the first to pull away. The captain looked at his long-time friend with a level gaze.

"Thanks," Kirk nodded, his face holding no trace of humor. Bones returned the nod, and Kirk turned to Acelynn and Elvira. "Sun's up. Should make it easier to fight," he commented, squinting toward the slit of sunlight that had just appeared on the horizon. The captain was just about to make an optimistic comment about the weather when he felt the first smattering of raindrops. He shut his mouth. "Wet," he frowned. "Always wet."

"It'll make it easier to cover our tracks with the mud," Acelynn suggested, the optimism in her voice forced.

"Enough about the weather," Bones growled, rolling his eyes. "We're on a rescue mission here. Where's Leila?"

"The chief's cabin," Kirk replied instantly, his face growing dark.

"Okay. Kirk, you head back to the ship. We'll get Leila and join you – ," Elvira began.

"No," Kirk snapped, interrupting the doctor's plan.

"What?" Elvira apparently did not think she heard him correctly. "Your leg looks like it's broken, the rest of you is in terrible shape, and, if I'm not mistaken, you're hurting like hell right now. You need to get to safety as soon as possible and not risk any more injuries."

"I'm not leaving here until Leila's safe," Kirk maintained. His eyes took on a steely look. "And I have some unfinished business with Chief Rakknor." Elvira opened her mouth to argue, but seemed to think better of it.

"Fine! Goodness, what do they _teach_ you people in Starfleet?" she exclaimed, exasperated. Kirk and Bones exchanged a half grin.

"Okay, well let's get going. It's only a matter of time before – ," Acelynn broke off, glancing toward the sounds of a beginning commotion by one of the huts. It seemed that one of the Tremons had ventured outside his hut to find an armed rescue team rather than the latrine. The crew members quickly dispatched the Tremon, but the damage was done – although the scuffle was short, the sound carried throughout the village.

"Move!" Acelynn yelled as other Tremons groggily emerged from their huts. She tossed a phaser to Kirk and, pulling out her own, began to shoot at the natives. Kirk ducked under a beam of light and found himself next to his guard. The guard stirred and managed to confusedly blink a few times before Kirk fired his phaser into the guard's head. Kirk's eye caught the glint of steel at the dead guard's waist. He grinned, his hand closing around the handle of a dagger. _You can never have too many weapons_, Kirk thought grimly, tucking the dagger into his belt.

"This way!" the captain called to Acelynn and the doctors. Together they raced toward the chief's hut. Kirk's leg was stiff and throbbing, but he refused to show his pain. There would be time to heal later. Acelynn, Elvira, and Bones caught up with him at the threshold of Rakknor's hut. Kirk knew with a glance that all their phasers were set to kill and, with a nod, he led the way past the veil.

To the group's collective surprise, the commotion outside had not woken the chief. Rakknor lay on his back, his barbed tail draping across the feathered bed and dipping off the side. Leila lay beside him on a straw pallet a few inches lower than the chief's bed. A single manacle linked her wrist to a metal pole at the head of her pallet, and Kirk knew that, despite Leila's promise, Rakknor did not trust her to stay with him. The tattered green garment that covered Leila revealed a bruised and battered body, and Kirk could hear Elvira hiss behind him as she assessed her friend's injuries. Kirk had watched Leila's state progressively worsen, and he glared at the one responsible.

In a rush of fury, Kirk grabbed the dagger from his belt and pressed the blade to Rakknor's throat. Black fire flashed through his line of vision as he growled one sentence.

"Good morning, you filthy bastard."


	22. Mud and Blood

**Mud and Blood**

Rakknor's eyes popped open the second the cold steel touched his throat. Kirk glared down at him from above, wondering what the chief would try. It was obvious the rescue team was just in the beginning stages of the rescue, and Kirk knew there would be plenty of time for the chief to sabotage their plans. Still, at this particular moment both Rakknor and Kirk knew who held the upper hand. Rakknor's barbed tail twitched and Kirk tightened his grip on the dagger.

"Don't even think about it," Acelynn warned, her phaser pointed straight at the chief. The tail lay still.

"Now you're gonna listen to us, Chief," Elvira advised, her voice low. "You're gonna listen to us or you won't live long enough to regret it. Understand?" Rakknor very slowly nodded his head, his eyes on Kirk. Leila, still asleep, twisted so that her chain clinked against the pole.

"Wake her up," Kirk told Acelynn, who immediately rushed to Leila's pallet and shook the captain awake.

"Leila. Leila, honey, wake up," Ace murmured into her captain's ear. Leila stirred, gradually opening her eyes to stare at Acelynn.

It was a dream. It had to be. Leila had always entertained the idea of a rescue, but she had long ago given up hope that the idea would become a reality. Yet as she opened her eyes, her first officer's face danced before her.

"No," she whispered. Out of all the nightmares she had had, this was the worst. She was dreaming of hope, and wakefulness would just rip it away. If reality was painful, hope was downright dangerous. Leila shut her eyes tight and twisted away from the ghost, curling into a tight ball and praying for wakefulness. But the dream did not leave.

"Leila, you need to wake up. We need to get out of here," Acelynn urged, her voice growing louder as Leila tried to block out the dream.

"Let me try." Leila heard another ghost say. She felt Acelynn's presence leave her side to be replaced with another, larger person.

"Leila," the deeper voice spoke. Tears streamed out of Leila's closed eyes. She would know this voice anywhere. Fate was cruel to have brought Kirk into this dream. "Leila, open your eyes. Look at me."

As hard as she tried, Leila could not ignore this voice. Her eyes opened of their own accord, and Kirk's face flooded her vision. Even as she drank in his features, he spoke again.

"You need to get up. We're free."

"But…you're a dream." It seemed imperative that he understand this. She looked earnestly into his eyes.

"A dream?" He seemed surprised. "This isn't a dream. This is real. The crew has come. They're getting us out."

"That's exactly what you would say in a dream!" Leila protested, tears leaking onto her cheeks.

"Kirk, come on. Pick her up if you have to," Bones rushed. Kirk waved a hand impatiently behind him. Then, thinking of something else, he raised his phaser and fired it at the chain tethering Leila to the pole.

"See?" he gestured toward the broken chain. "You're free." Leila frowned. That had never happened in a dream.

"Pinch me," she said, looking at Kirk desperately. "Wake me up."

"I can do better than that," he answered, smiling. Without another word, he pulled her toward him and softly touched his lips to hers. Leila's reaction was immediate, and she found herself returning the kiss.

Although it lasted only seconds, the sweet kiss transformed Leila. She was no longer Leila, slave of Rakknor, who lived in a constant nightmare. Now she was Captain Leila of the _USS Stargazer_. And her crew had come for her.

She blinked once, trying to get her bearings as Kirk helped her up. Acelynn, Bones, and Elvira stood at the other side of the hut, Bones holding a phaser to Rakknor's skull. The chief glared at her with unforgiving black eyes. Instead of glancing away as she had always done, however, she returned the gaze, staring back with a loathing so strong that it seemed to shimmer about the room.

She was just about to speak when the grass veil shivered, and three large Tremons entered the hut. Acelynn whirled and killed one immediately, but the other two flipped a table and ducked behind it, sending laser blasts toward the five humans.

"We gotta get out of here!" Elvira shouted. "To the ship!" One by one they dove through the grass veil, narrowly missing phaser beams as the remanding humans kept the attackers busy. Bones was the last one out and when he passed through the veil he hit the ground running. Kirk and Leila brought up the rear, injuries slowing their progress. Suddenly Leila skidded to a stop.

"Elisia!" she gasped at Kirk. "We have to get her out!"

The rain was pouring from the sky now, the watery bullets making it hard to see. Kirk saw Leila slide to a stop and take off in the opposite direction. He heard her yell something about Elisia and realized that Leila knew where the other prisoner was located.

"Bones!" he shouted through the rain. In front of him, Bones stopped in his tracks and turned to see Kirk point toward Leila's retreating back. The doctor nodded in acknowledgement, knowing that Kirk was going after her. He watched Kirk take off after Leila and shook his head at how complicated this rescue mission had become.

Despite his injured leg, Kirk managed to keep Leila in his sights until she disappeared through a cloth that covered a small hut's doorway. He limped after her and found himself in a cramped, leaking room. Leila crouched by a chair on which Elisia was restrained. Both looked up at Kirk at his entry.

"Oh, it's you," Leila sighed, relieved as she went back to struggling with Elisia's bonds. The blonde woman looked at Kirk with clear eyes.

"So you're Kirk. Leila's told me so much about you," Elisia informed, speaking with the air of one at a garden party. Leila finally managed to loosen the bonds, which fell to the floor in a heap. Elisia stood, shook herself, and strode over to shake Kirk's hand. "It's nice to officially meet you," she greeted before setting her sights on a Tremon who had just collapsed into the curtain. "Shall we?"

Elisia tore out of the hut, grabbing a phaser from the dead Tremon as she rushed past. Instead of running in the direction of the rest of the crew, however, she bolted directly into the hut adjacent to the one she just left. Kirk and Leila had just gotten outside when Elisia reappeared, carrying an armful of crystals. A second glance told Kirk that the crystals were actually the two costumes that the women had worn for the performance.

"What are you doing with those?" he called to Elisia.

"Call it sentiment," she shouted back sarcastically over the increasing din. Then, seriously, she added, "We can't just leave them here." A peculiar look came over her face as she plucked an unattached crystal from the pile and gazed into the rain. The expression vanished when a beam of light exploded the hut behind her.

"What are you guys doing?" Acelynn yelled, skidding around the corner and nearly knocking Leila over. "It's getting nasty – we need to go _now_!" Unceremoniously grabbing Leila's arm, she yanked her captain toward the fringe of trees surrounding the clearing. Elisia followed, helping Kirk along, as now his leg was protesting too much to ignore.

They were almost to the trees when a phaser blasted into a tree just in front of them. The tree crashed down lengthwise directly in their pathway, forcing them to navigate a new route to the forest. Noticing that the right was swarming with Tremons and the left had only three, Acelynn made an instantaneous decision to swerve left. The movement, although the best option, left them hurtling straight into Rakknor himself.

Acelynn fired blindly at the incoming Tremons and caught one in the chest. He went down just as Rakknor, apparently having had lost his phaser somewhere in the confusion, whipped his tail out at the humans. The tip of the tail skimmed Acelynn's arm and she cried out in pain, the phaser flying out of her hand. Kirk spun, firing his phaser at Rakknor, but the mud beneath him shifted and the blast hit the chief in the leg rather than the chest. The other Tremon flicked its tail at Kirk, hitting him on his injured leg. Both Kirk and Rakknor hit the ground at the same time. Rakknor, closest to Leila, reached out and grabbed at her ankle. She slipped on the mud, the Tremon's grip vice-like, and kicked at the chief in an effort to loosen his iron grasp.

Acelynn, having had recovered her phaser, had her hands full with the other Tremon, who evaded every phaser blast. When Ace tried to help the others, though, the Tremon sent blasts her way, and she figured her efforts would be better spent trying to keep the troublesome adversary busy. Elisia still clutched the sparkling crystals to her chest, hoping that no phasers would hit the gems.

Kirk, his leg not able to take much more, crawled toward the struggling Leila. Reaching her, he threw himself at Rakknor, dislodging his opponent with the unexpected force. The chief lost his grip on Leila's ankle for just a moment, but it was a moment too long. Leila wrenched her leg away and jammed it into Rakknor's face. Seeing a glint of steel an arm's length away, Leila clawed at the mud to discover the dagger that Kirk had dropped as he lunged. Leila wasted no time. She knew that Kirk could not hold off the chief for long. She turned to see that Rakknor had flipped Kirk over and slithered his hands around the man's neck.

"Die," the chief hissed, his six-fingered hands tightening. Kirk's vision flashed, white spots floating in front of his eyes as the attacker choked the air from his lungs. Then Kirk saw another face – Leila's, he registered – and his vision cleared enough to watch the woman thrust the serrated dagger into the chief's neck.

Rakknor roared with pain and fury, thick green blood pouring from the wound. As his large hands clutched at the knife, Kirk's fingers found his phaser. A look of horror passed over Rakknor's face as Kirk lifted the phaser, aimed between the monster's eyes, and fired.

Kirk and Leila, mud-caked and gasping for breath, watched as Chief Rakknor collapsed sideways and fell to the mud, dead.


	23. Fire and Water

**Fire and Water**

Kirk, Leila, Acelynn, and Elisia hurtled through the forest toward the _Stargazer_. After Rakknor was killed, the other Tremons seemed to freeze in shock. The delay lasted only seconds, but it gave the humans an opportunity to bolt into the woods.

Luckily, thinking ahead, Acelynn had marked the way back to the ship with cuts in the trees. The rest of the rescue team had used these marks to return to safety. The four remaining humans brought up the rear. Zigzagging and dodging phaser blasts, Kirk tried with every ounce of his self-control to ignore the blinding pain in his leg. He had heard that the innate desire for self-preservation took away some of the agony of injuries. If this was true, he hated to imagine what his leg would feel like once he _stopped_ running for his life. The ship was in view now, and Kirk could see the _Stargazer_'s metal hull flashing in the morning light behind the trees. He pushed himself faster.

Sixty feet…thirty feet…twenty feet…

They were ten feet away from the ship's open door when Elisia thrust her armful of crystals at Kirk.

"Here," she gasped. "Take these inside. I'll just be a minute." Kirk had no choice but to grab the crystals and continue his path. He glanced over his shoulder at Elisia and saw that she still held a single crystal delicately in her hand. She disappeared under the back of the ship for a moment and reappeared empty-handed.

"What did you do?" Kirk gaped at Elisia as she bounded through the blast doors and they snapped shut behind her. Acelynn muttered into the intercom on the wall and the _Stargazer_ began to shudder, a dragon stirring.

"Insurance," Elisia answered, breathless. Elvira and Bones stepped forward with sub-neural scanners and began to examine Kirk and Leila, who sagged against the walls, their adrenaline having burned up to leave only exhaustion in its place. Acelynn, still by the intercom, pushed herself up and shakily started toward the turbolift.

"I'll be up at the bridge," she told the others wearily. She had not gotten three feet before Kirk and Leila started after her.

"Oh, no," Elvira fumed. "You're not going anywhere but the medbay, you two."

"Oh, yes we are," Leila retorted.

"We're going straight to the bridge. We're back on the ship and there's no way we're foregoing a takeoff," Kirk argued.

"Our injuries can wait a few more minutes," Leila added. Elvira opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water. Her eyes narrowed at the two headstrong captains.

"Fine," she snapped. "But I'm going with you. And if I get even the faintest inkling that you can't handle yourselves up there, I'm taking you to the medbay if I have to _drag_ you, and you won't have any say." Her tirade over, the doctor strode past the captains and stopped at the turbolift. "Well?" she demanded, glaring at them.

Within a minute Bones, Elvira, Acelynn, Kirk, Leila, and Elisia stepped out of the very crowded turbolift onto the bridge. As she and Kirk shakily walked toward the captain's chair, Leila noticed Chekov's eyes widen. While the rest of the bridge was focused on the captains, however, the young ensign had eyes only for Acelynn. Leila vaguely wondered what she had missed during her detainment.

The viewing screen in front of them showed the land swarming with Tremons. Enraged at the death of their chief, the Tremons attacked the _Stargazer_ with everything they had; phasers, larger unfamiliar guns, and even enormous rocks pelted the ship. After the abuse the ship had already endured, Leila knew that her _Stargazer_ could not take much more. The crew on the bridge watched as a group of six Tremons rolled a large cannon-like object from the trees. Although an unfamiliar weapon, all witnesses on the bridge realized that a blast from that would mean the end of the _Stargazer_ and everyone on it. Leila turned to Chekov.

"Get us out of here," she ordered the ensign, her face ashen.

"And do it quickly." This, surprisingly, came from Elisia. The woman stood in a corner by the turbolift, looking anxiously at the viewing screen. "Be ready to haul out of here when the blast from the ship hits the ground, or else there won't _be_ a ship."

"What do you mean?" Kirk eyes Elisia suspiciously.

"Fire and water – the perfect conditions for detonating crystals." Elisia looked meaningfully at the rain pouring outside. "Once the thrusters on this ship his full blast, move like hell and don't stop till you're out of range." The Tremons outside had now moved the cannon-like weapon directly in front of the ship.

"Chekov…" Kirk directed, "punch it."

"Aye, Keptin," the ensign acknowledged, skimming his fingers over various buttons on the board. He nodded to Kareena, the accompanying navigation technician, and simultaneously they flicked a switch beneath the board, then pushed a silver lever forward. The _Stargazer_ shuddered, its trembling growing in scale as the thrusters roared to life.

"And…we're up," Chekov announced, his concentrated expression mirroring Kareena's.

"Get away from the planet," Leila heard Elisia murmur behind her. The tremors were still increasing, the thrusters not having had reached their full capacity yet. Leila saw the Tremon-infested ground move farther away as the _Stargazer_ rose. The ship suddenly lurched forward, and Leila knew the thrusters had finally reached full force. A strong blast beneath the ship jolted the crew. Leila watched nervously as tongues of blue-green fire licked the viewing screen. The fire was everywhere – they were engulfed in a world of flames. Through it all, Chekov coaxed the _Stargazer_ upward.

"Push it," Kirk muttered by Leila's ear. He punched the intercom button on the arm of the captain's chair, signaling for the engine room. "Scotty, get us out of here. We're burning up."

"I'm tryin', Captain!" Scotty's rushed voice responded. "She's pushin' forward but she cannae do much more if that explosion doesn' die down!" Kirk glanced at Elisia, who shook her head, signifying that the explosion was nowhere near finished.

"Don't plan on that," Kirk stressed urgently into the speaker. "You're gonna have to work with what you got." He released the button and grabbed Leila's hand. She felt the squeeze and held on like a lifeline.

"Captain, it has a gravitational pull," Kareena notified, her voice strained. "It's sucking us backward."

"How do we fix it?" Leila demanded tightly.

"We need an extra force – something to thrust us forward," Kareena explained, her brain whizzing. "There's an extra fuel supply that might work but it's automatically released. I don't know how to operate it manually."

"I can do zat," Chekov announced, his eyes lighting as he raised his head. "I can do zat!" Without wasting a second, the ensign tapped a long sequence into the computer before him, then flicked a switch and pressed another button. For a devastating moment, nothing happened. Then the _Stargazer_ jolted forward, the extra force blasting the ship through the outer atmosphere and into the inky blackness of space. Behind them, the blue-green fire consumed Tremonillian, destroying everything in its wake. The fire suddenly died down, as if extinguished, and the charred planet hung in space for one last moment before the fire reared up again with an unbelievable intensity. The flames lasted only a second until a horrendous explosion ripped the planet apart. Leila watched in awe through the screen, incredibly thankful that her ship and crew were out of range. All that was left of the planet previously called Tremonillian was a hazy nebula of darkened mist.

"Uh…Captain…we have a small issue down here," Scotty's voice crackled from the speaker on the chair.

"Go ahead," Leila prompted, pressing the button.

"It seems that the flames took out the warp transmitter. Meaning that until we fix it, we cannae go into warp speed. I can fix it, but it'll be a while."

"Ahh," Leila frowned. Then she shrugged. "Well, it's not like we don't need some down time. See what you can do, Scotty. Let me know if there's any progress."

"Aye, Captain," Scotty replied. Then, "It's good to have both of you back on the ship." Leila smiled and lifted her finger from the button. She looked around at her mixed crew, all staring at her and Kirk with dazed and relieved expressions – all but one. As Leila glanced at Elvira, she noted that the doctor's eyes held pure disapproval.

"Medbay. Now," Elvira ordered, her tone leaving no room for argument. As she turned and stalked into the turbolift, Bones followed her and lay a hand on her shoulder. The touch seemed to relax Elvira, but Leila knew that she shouldn't risk crossing the doctor right now. She timidly nodded and, with Kirk's hand entwined in hers, she made her way to the turbolift.


	24. Return

**Return**

"Captains, we're approaching Earth," Kareena notified via intercom to the medbay. It had been seven weeks since the _Stargazer_ and her crew had escaped Tremonillian, and all this time Elvira had adamantly refused to let Leila and Kirk out of the medbay. In the first week, the doctor had worked late into the night until she fell asleep in the medbay, a fact that Leila rarely brought up in fear that the reminder would spark another tirade about how if the injuries had been treated sooner then the doctor wouldn't have felt the need to heal them immediately. Both Kirk and Leila knew that regardless of _when_ they reported to the medbay, Elvira would still have spent that first week without letting the captains out of her sight. The only reason she laid off was because Bones somehow convinced her.

Still, the doctor's efforts had certainly paid off. Kirk's leg, although not completely healed, was feeling almost as good as new. The long rope of a scar that stretched across his back would never fade, but he liked to joke that "chicks dig scars" as his eyes twinkled at Leila. Leila's injuries were more psychological than physical, but what physical damages she did have were righted almost immediately. She still refused to speak about her time in captivity. Every now and then her eyes would glaze over with some distant memory, but, although the triggers were sudden and impossible to predetermine, these instances occurred less often than in the beginning weeks of the voyage home.

Acelynn and Elisia had come to visit the captains as often as they could manage. It turned out that Elisia proved to be a rather accomplished engineer, so she worked alongside Scotty when she had the chance. In the past few weeks, Leila and Kirk had learned bits and pieces of Elisia's story. She was an ambassador from the highly prestigious STAR (Search, Transmit, And Reinvestigate) Sector sent to Tremonillian to reexamine the planet and gather information on the crater. Her small ship had suffered major disrepair as it fought its way through the atmosphere, and the ambassador had landed with the intention of restoring her ship and returning to Earth. The Tremons, apparently, had other plans.

Leila learned what she had missed from Acelynn and Elvira. The first mate chattered animatedly about relationships and friendships formed in Leila's absence. It seemed as though she and Chekov, as well as Elvira and Bones, were already planning overlapping shore leaves together.

Leila and Kirk spent as much time with each other as they possibly could. They spoke in hushed voices long into the night, speaking of their pasts – and their future. The first couple weeks, Elvira forbid any jostling or physical contact between the two in an attempt to get the injuries to heal faster. When the doctor repeatedly caught the two sneaking kisses, however, she relented. Leila was happy. It was the first time in months that she could honestly claim the feeling. She often wondered if her love for Kirk would have blossomed even without the bond forged in the long weeks of captivity. She liked to think so. Still, the love that had formed between them – regardless of the reason behind it – was as strong as iron, and, although they still fought, it was a love that would last for eternity.

The entire group of Leila's friends – new and old – stood in the medbay as Kareena's voice came through. Leila had never seen smiles so wide. She was sure her own beam matched theirs. After all, this was the day she had been anticipating for months – they were going home.

Kirk hopped out of the transporter, relishing the feel of the soft white flakes dancing down from the sky. It was a welcome change from the hot, wet forests of Tremonillian. Leila walked beside him, and he snuck a look at her as she reached out her palm to catch a snowflake. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. It was funny, he thought, that he had gone into this mission one person and came out another. In all his life he had never expected to experience a love this deep, this all-encompassing. He had tried to explain it to Leila countless times on the ship coming back home, but, although he sensed she knew what he meant, he could never find the right words. Leila laughed quietly as she watched a snowflake fall into her palm. For a moment it just sat there in all its frozen glory. Then the ice crystals slowly melted away as another flake took its place.

"It's so beautiful," she breathed.

_You really are_, Kirk thought to himself, watching her. Her name was out of his mouth without thinking.

"Leila." She looked up at him, green eyes sparkling under snow-laced lashes. He knew in an instant what he had been trying to say for so long, a feeling put into words. He stared at her, his heart pounding with absolute certainty.

"Yes?" Leila asked quietly as he continued wordlessly gazing at her. Snowflakes flurried around her head, frosted her dark brown locks. Again he was struck by her beauty.

"I love you, Leila," Kirk declared in hushed tones, taking her hands in his. "If I learned anything from that damned planet, it's that I couldn't bear being apart from you. I want to _be_ with you, to protect you in any way I can, to hold your hand when we're old and gray and leaning on canes." Leila slightly cocked her head, watching him intently as he continued. "I want _you_ to be the only one I ever kiss, _you_ to be the one I fall asleep with every night and wake up next to every morning. You don't have a piece of my heart – you have the whole thing. And I couldn't imagine it any other way." He looked down at her hands enveloped in his and again he felt the gripping certainty of what he was about to say. "I love you, Leila. In the deepest, truest sense of the word." He returned his steady gaze to her and looked deep into her eyes, sapphire meeting emerald. "Will you marry me?"

Leila smiled, timidly at first, as if she could not believe what she had just heard. Then her smile grew in intensity, eyes blazing and cheeks pink with excitement and cold. She threw her arms around Kirk and kissed him with all the passion in her heart. She pulled away for just a moment, eyes glistening with joyful tears and face wild with delight as she spoke a single word.

"Yes."


	25. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

-One year later -

Leila beamed, happier than she had ever thought possible. She reached up to fix the white flower twisted in her hair as the wind softly rustled her jade dress. Lowering her left hand, she caught the glint of diamonds and white gold shining in the sunlight, and she was reminded of her own wedding so many months ago. The wedding and extended honeymoon had been perfect, so much more than she had dreamed. The ocean crashed faintly behind her, bringing her back to the present. Music began softly wafting from behind a white curtain, and Leila turned her attention to the aisle as a radiant Acelynn emerged, looking gorgeous in a flowing white gown.

The bride glided elegantly down the aisle, the flowers in her bouquet matching those placed delicately in her bridesmaids' hair. Leila glanced beside her at Elvira and Elisia. Both looked equally as stunning in their fitted green dresses. Elvira wiped away a stray tear from her cheek as she watched her friend come closer to her destiny. Leila tilted her head toward Chekov, who waited for his bride at the altar with bright eyes and an awestruck expression. The captain's smile grew wider.

She took in the groomsmen on the other side of the aisle, wondering how fate had treated them all so well. Bones looked dashing in his new tuxedo; Leila chuckled under her breath as she recalled his emphatic grumbles when he realized that he had outgrown the old one sitting in the farthest corner of his closet. Next to Bones stood Sulu. Leila had been surprised and delighted when Elisia and Sulu had hit it off so well. The new couple seemed ecstatic with their budding relationship, and Leila wished them the very best of luck. The captain's attention finally slid over to Kirk, and her green eyes met his cobalt ones. As always, she felt an electric spark whenever he looked at her like this.

Leila still could not believe that the amazing man before her was her husband. He awakened a fire within her soul, and her love for him grew stronger with each passing day. In the past year they had lived, laughed, and loved with such zest and passion that Leila often had a hard time believing that this blissful existence was _hers_. Yet hers it was, and the new life growing inside of her was a testament to their endless love. She had found out about her pregnancy the week before, and Kirk was overjoyed at the prospect of being a father. He continuously caressed Leila's slowly growing tummy, crooning words of love to their "little captain." Leila had yet to tell her friends, although many times they had commented on her glowing features. Leila outwardly dismissed it as excitement for the wedding. She did not want to take away any of the doting attention Acelynn deserved as the blushing bride. Tonight, when the wedding was over, Leila planned to take her friends aside and share the good news. Realizing her hand had moved to her stomach, Leila quickly replaced both hands on her bouquet just as Acelynn approached the altar.

The priest began speaking, joining the two young people together, and Leila couldn't help but be amazed at the path all their lives had taken. Unconsciously Leila's hand again dropped to her growing belly and the life inside. From horror to happiness, their lives had taken an unexpected turn that had left them all wondering at fate's design. They were all surrounded by a nebula of the purest form of love that anyone could ask for.

And she couldn't imagine it any other way.

**The End**


End file.
